The implementation of certain types of technology in cars, such as telematics, is beneficial for drivers and can help to reduce auto insurance costs. However, that doesn’t mean all technology has a positive impact on road safety and bringing down premiums.
For one, distracted driving aided by cellphones continues to be an issue on Canadian roads, with an alarming 43% of drivers stating that the only thing that would stop them from driving distracted would be getting into a motor vehicle collision, according to a Desjardins Insurance national survey on distracted driving.
“Distracted driving is a massive issue in Canada and it only continues to get worse,” said Justin Thouin, co-founder and CEO of LowestRates.ca. “The Canadian government needs to treat it like a crime the same way that it does impaired driving because it is a crime – you’re taking others’ lives in your hands when you drive in a distracted fashion.”
Canadians are already attuned to the dangers posed by distracted driving. A recent survey by Rates.ca found that a significant portion of Canadians believe that distracted driving is the number one threat when it comes to car-related deaths. According to the survey, 40% of the respondents said distracted driving is the top cause of vehicle-related deaths. By comparison, 33% of respondents identified impaired driving as the leading factor.
Moreover, when asked if they have told a driver to stop texting or engaging in phone calls while behind the wheel, 58% said they have done so on at least one occasion. Meanwhile, over 50% of Canadians aged 18 to 34 said that they have told a driver to stop using their mobile device on more than three occasions. While it’s important to utilize technology in vehicles where it will help auto insureds and insurers, it’s likewise important that technology doesn’t increase distracted driving behaviours.
On the flip side, autonomous features exemplify a technology that could contribute to safer driving habits since experts predict that collisions will be much fewer and far between, and that these vehicles will allow seniors or others with limited mobility the opportunity to regain independence. Nonetheless, many Canadians are concerned about the rise of autonomous vehicle technologies with more than 55% of Canadians believing that autonomous vehicles (AV) have benefits in a recent survey, while 61% reported having concerns about accountability when an accident happens.
“On one hand, one would think that the only way that these autonomous capabilities would be allowed on the road is that they are far more reliable than human error,” said Thouin. “But on the other, a driver might feel overconfident and pay less attention to the road when these autonomous features are on, and there may be a situation where the autonomous feature does not come into play, and the driver is not ready to react and there may be an accident.”
He added that it’s “too early to know what the result will be” when autonomous vehicles appear on Canadian roads in fuller force, though he will be interested to see what impact autonomous vehicles have on collisions. Nonetheless, Canadians clearly still need to warm to the idea of autonomous vehicles.
“There’s going to be a slower pickup in autonomous features, and especially in fully autonomous vehicles because as soon as you see a child has been killed because of a malfunction in an autonomous vehicle, my bet is that a lot of them will be pulled off the road, even if the number of deaths is far lower than when driven by humans,” said Thouin. “There’s a psychology there that I think will come into play.”
