The importance of consumer awareness of vehicle safety features

The landscape of consumer preferences is changing – a recent national survey of 500 people conducted by Intelematics has highlighted a distinct shift towards enhanced safety features in vehicles, with one in five Australians considering crash detection (eCall) and in-vehicle SOS emergency functionality as crucial for their next vehicle purchase.

Paradoxically, the research also found that the awareness of eCall and the SOS Emergency Button is limited – a third of those surveyed were not exactly sure what the safety features truly did, even for people who have purchased vehicles carrying the capability. Only 1 in 10 Australians are aware of the life-saving combination of eCall and SOS button technology.

This combination of consumer demand for enhanced safety features with an accompanying lack of awareness about how they work in practice, underscores the need for technologies that further improve safety in new vehicles alongside increased consumer education of these features and how they operate.

eCall (or emergency call) is a proven life-saving technology reducing emergency response times in both regional and urban settings. With eCall, in the event of an accident, an Automatic Collision Notification (ACN) will be triggered sending critical data such as precise GPS location to a trained operator ensuring prompt engagement and dispatch of emergency first responders.

It is an important non-infrastructure based component to the overall mix of initiatives required to meet National Road Safety targets – with Intelematics capability now enabled in over 500,000 vehicles across Australia.

For automotive OEMs, fleets and large dealers in Australia and New Zealand, this represents an opportunity to lead the local market in vehicle safety and address the unique challenges faced in these markets by way of excessive regional road fatalities.

Integrating eCall and the Intelematics’ safety solution into new vehicles not only meets consumer demands and expectations, it also demonstrates automotive OEMs commitment to vehicle safety innovation and excellence, whilst setting a new standard in the industry while safety regulation catches up, when it is most urgently needed.

To obtain a copy of our research, feel free to reach out to us.

Our services power eCall, the in-vehicle SOS emergency button and stolen vehicle tracking. To learn more about how these advancements are transforming vehicle safety and meeting consumer demands visit www.intelematics.com/connected-vehicle/automotive-safety/ecall.