Pressing car buttons is making motorists ‘worse drivers’ with road users at risk

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Motorists have been warned pressing car buttons could make them “worse drivers” with dozens of road users under threat of severe penalties for breaking laws including heavy fines.

Experts at Quotezone have revealed a whopping 50 percent of drivers use assisted technology every time they drive.

Meanwhile, a quarter say they always use technology to park meaning skills such as parallel parking, speed control and braking are taken out of their control.

Assisted technology is usually activated by switches on the dashboard and can offer an extra layer of protection for drivers.

A massive 43 percent of those polled said they felt safer when using these features compared to traditional driving.

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However, Greg Wilson, CEO of Quotezone claimed the technology was watering down drivers’ ability to control their vehicles.

He explained: ”Our survey results show the majority of people have some sort of automated technology in their cars, and many of them are relying on it regularly when it comes to basic driving skills.

“Things like parallel parking, timely braking, cruise control and navigation have all been taken out of the drivers’ control by automated car systems. This raises a question around whether this is making us worse drivers, considering many of us are no longer practicing driving skills to complete these, sometimes tricky, manoeuvres.”

The poll showed motorists have gotten complacent behind the wheel with 12 percent admitting they look away from the road more often.

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Meanwhile, 37 percent using the tools because it makes driving easier. However, drivers have been warned they could face costly penalties if they rely too much on the tools.

Taking eyes off the road is against the law and could see motorists issued penalties for driving without due care and attention

This can come with sanctions of between three and nine penalty points and a £100 fine.

But in some extreme cases, motorists could be issued a £5,000 fine and even be disqualified from driving altogether.

Mr Wilson added: “Drivers must ensure they are following the Highway Code and that none of these assisted features are causing a distraction or lack of concentration. Failure to do so could land them with hefty fines, points on their license or even disqualification.

“When it comes to insurance, any drivers adding car technology systems must let their insurance provider know.

“This ensures their policy is accurate and up to date – failure to do so could lead to a void policy, leaving drivers unprotected should they need to make a claim.”

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