New cars: Mandatory assistance systems “unnerve” – salzburg.ORF.at
Traffic
From the beginning of July, new cars must have several driver assistance systems installed. According to a survey by the German Road Safety Board (KfV), drivers are not very familiar with it and feel insecure.
During a tour of Austria, drivers will be informed about the emergency brake assistant in the coming weeks. The emergency brake assistant warns and brakes and should bring more protection for children, pedestrians and cyclists. If the driver is not concentrating, the machine should think for itself and must be installed in every new car from July. “Distracted driving is a massive issue and we hope that the assistance systems will make a major contribution to making traffic safer,” says AUVA Director Herbert Koutny.
Assistants must be installed from July
Nine driving assistance systems must be installed in new cars from July 6, including a lane departure warning system or a reversing assistant. “It is important for us that these are assistance systems and not replacement systems. Everyone behind the wheel is still responsible for steering themselves,” says Othmar Thann, Director of the Board of Trustees for Road Safety.
Feel brake assist with VR glasses
The General Accident Insurance Institution (AUVA) and the Board of Trustees for Road Safety will also present the systems with virtual reality glasses at an appointment on Wednesday.
Technology unsettles drivers
According to a current survey by Salzburg, drivers do not feel safer with the new assistance systems, and 40 percent say they are not familiar with them. “It’s not just about the technical handling, but also about the legal framework, liability and insurance issues. A lot of drivers say they have systems, but they turn them off because they don’t know what’s coming,” says Thann.
Goal: Halve the number of accidents
Humans are the cause of 90 percent of traffic accidents In Salzburg, almost 2,800 traffic accidents are recorded every year, with driving assistants only half as many accidents are caused.