Georgia Injury Law Blog
The recent shortage of available cars for purchase has made it difficult for consumers to get their vehicle of choice. Ideally, one would want to get the safest car available to protect them in an accident. However, the average American driver is much more likely to be aware of all the features on his large screen television than the car uses to get around safely every day. This lack of knowledge is even more glaring among used car buyers who often have little knowledge about the accident prevention features that their car includes.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found recently in a study that buyers of used cars do not have all information about the technologies in their vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a survey of drivers who had bought automobiles between 2016 and 2019. The survey group included more than 400 owners who had bought their new vehicles in a showroom, while the rest consisted of motorists who had bought used cars.
The survey found that buyers of both old and new cars were not completely aware of the safety features that their vehicle included. Just about two-thirds of new car buyers, for instance, were aware of information relating to the adaptive cruise control feature on their cars. This feature includes all the conveniences of traditional cruise control, but also slows and speeds up depending on the distance with the car ahead, thereby reducing the risk of a fender bender or accident. However, this feature needs to be turned on to be effective.
The lack of information was glaring in the case of used car buyers. The survey found that, for instance, about 84% of new car buyers were aware of the fact that their car had a blind spot warning system, while only about 72% of used car buyers were aware of the same. Lane departure warning systems are also incredibly powerful technologies that are available on many cars, but only about 77% of new car buyers were able to determine what these systems do, while the number dropped to 66% in the case of used car buyers.
New car buyers were much more likely to report that the sales representative at the car showroom took the trouble to explain these safety features and how to use them. Buyers of used cars, on the other hand, were less likely to receive that information. Even in cases in which buyers received that information, the details do not seem to have been delivered in an effective manner.
Lack of knowledge about important safety features in a car leads to lack of trust in these systems. The lesser a person knows about the safety features in his vehicle, the less likely he is to actually use these technologies. There have been significant advancements in auto safety technology in the past decade, and it is troubling that so many motorists are driving used cars without having full access to the benefits of the safety technology in their vehicle, simply because they are not aware of these benefits
The Atlanta car accident attorneys at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal rights to a claim for damages.