Popular Safety Feature Can Kill You! Video Inside

The Indian car market is going through a transformational change! Customers are slowly shifting from mileage and feature-loaded cars to models with high safety and reliability. However, as manufacturers increase their commitment to safer cars, cases of reckless driving and feature misuse are growing. A recent viral video on Instagram shows a reckless driver misusing the ADAS features on his new Kia Seltos SUV. This video has outraged many in the comment section and highlighted the failing road safety issue. But what happened? Let’s find out.
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ADAS: Boon or Bane?

In 2021, the Mahindra XUV700 democratised ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) to enhance the safety and comfort of occupants. However soon after its launch, we started receiving videos of people misusing ADAS features on the highway. The first popular video had the driver of an XUV700 sleeping in the second row while the SUV was driving on ADAS at 70 kmph. This viral video was shot on a fairly empty highway but highlighted the sad state of affairs. In the latest video created for social media views, the driver of a new Kia Seltos can be seen jumping between the driver seat and second-row seats trying to showcase the reliability of its ADAS system.

This reckless behaviour not only risked their lives but also that of others on the road. Additionally, these videos created for social media encourage irresponsible actions from viewers without any legal repercussions.

Why Do People Misuse ADAS?

The idea of ADAS misuse stems from the lack of basic training. Driver training is still a fairly unorganised sector in India. Most sales representatives are not well informed and do not explain to the customers the right way to use technology embedded in their SUVs. While the traffic department has a strict clampdown on those trying such risky stunts, most of them go unnoticed.

Additionally, many confused ADAS with Tesla’s FSD (Full Self-driving). Unlike Tesla’s system, ADAS in India needs constant human intervention. Most owners misinterpret the capabilities of the ADAS system, leading to a false sense of security and reduced attention on the road.

How Can We Stop ADAS Misuse?

We asked our followers on Twitter what they thought was the best way to solve misuse of safety features and here are some of the suggestions.

• Tarzan, The Wonder Car: One user suggested that a vehicle with ADAS should drive itself to the nearest police station if the driver gets up from his seat or his hands are not on the steering wheel.
• Sharing a video of VW cars, one user wrote that ADAS should switch off and park itself safely if the driver is not paying attention to the road or tries to move away from the driver’s seat (seat pressure activation).
• Another suggested an ejection seat straight to the nearest police station.

While most of these solutions are impractical, automakers should enforce stricter software control to enhance no misuse.