MILAN/STOCKHOLM, July 15 - A cross-national survey of transport experts has identified motorists' incorrect use of driver-assistance technology and driver distraction from in-cabin features as the principal safety hazards on roads, outweighing concerns about mechanical failures.
The questionnaire, financed by Italian brake-maker Brembo and conducted by Economist Enterprise - a division of The Economist Group - gathered responses from more than 1,000 transport specialists. The respondents work across policy, infrastructure, manufacturing and technology in major car-producing nations, including France, Germany, Italy, the UK, China, India, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
"We need to make sure that those systems are really explained to the end-user and proposed with a clear visibility of what they can do and what they cannot do," said Ignacio Alvarez, R&D Chief at Brembo, summarizing the view that system capabilities and limits require clearer communication to drivers.
Economist Enterprise research leader Pratima Singh highlighted the central concern.
"The real risk is the interface between humans and machines and increasingly automated systems," she said.
When asked to identify leading causes of mobility safety issues, 30% of the transport specialists surveyed pointed to human misunderstanding or misuse of driving assistance systems. In a separate question focused on the safety risks arising from user-vehicle interaction, 24% identified increasingly distracting in-vehicle features as the main issue.
The survey also recorded views on how these systems are presented to the public: two-thirds of professionals said advertising overstates the capabilities of driver-assistance systems, creating unrealistic expectations among users.
These industry concerns surface as several regulatory developments are underway. In China, regulators are reportedly considering tighter oversight of advanced driver-assistance systems following a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi vehicle. In Europe, a Swedish transport authority has recommended voting against a Europe-wide rollout of Tesla's supervised self-driving software unless the U.S. electric vehicle maker disables the software's ability to exceed legal speed limits, according to a letter.
On the international standards front, a United Nations vehicle standards forum approved new rules for automated-driving systems last month.
The Economist Enterprise research extended beyond professionals to more than 5,000 road-users, among whom 88% said they support tougher road-safety measures. That finding suggests public backing for stricter regulation of driver-assistance technologies and in-vehicle features.
Context for industry and markets
The survey results underscore tensions affecting automotive manufacturers, software developers, regulators and suppliers of vehicle safety components. They point to potential pressure for clearer user education, stricter marketing controls, and regulatory requirements limiting certain software behaviors.