Used Car Buyers Are Less Interested in Driving Aids

A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States indicates that buyers of used cars are much less likely to be interested in various installed driving aids than buyers of new vehicles.

Consequently, they are less likely to understand their function, trust them, or use them, affirms Ian Reagan, the author of the study and senior scientist in charge of research at the IIHS.

What good are all these sophisticated devices designed to reduce collisions if people don't understand or use them?

Previous studies revealed that frontal collision warning systems with automatic emergency braking, for example, reduce the chances of crashing into another vehicle or other obstacle by 50% (if one relies on accidents reported by the police). Nevertheless, drivers that have such systems at their disposal don't always use them.

By surveying more than 750 owners of 2016 to 2019 models equipped with standard driving aids, the IIHS discovered that 84% of those who bought their vehicle new were aware that a blind spot monitor was installed, compared to 72% of those who bought a used model. Furthermore, 77% of respondents from the first group could accurately describe the role and function of the lane departure indicator, compared to only 66% from the second group.

Among those who were aware of the existence of these driving aids, buyers of new vehicles reported trusting them more than buyers of used vehicles.

One reason that may explain this phenomenon is that the quasi-totality (95%) of people who bought new did business with a dealership specialising in the brand of their specific vehicle. For those who bought used, this proportion drops to 74%.

The IIHS asserts that good teaching when taking possession of a vehicle (new or used) is essential in enabling people to understand the various driving aids, including their capacities and limitations, as well as to trust and use these aids while driving. To ensure proper teaching, the salesperson or vehicle delivery specialist at the dealership must be able to provide clear, exact, and useful information to customers.