Cars on sale today are objectively the safest they’ve ever been – but subjectively they may also be the most annoying to drive.
If you’ve driven a new car lately and found yourself bombarded by lane departure warnings, speed limit chimes, or driver monitoring alerts, you’re not alone – and even the organisation responsible for rating vehicle safety thinks some systems have gone too far.
Speaking about the introduction of ANCAP’s revised 2026 safety protocols, chief executive Carla Hoorweg said the independent auto safety body is no longer focused solely on whether advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) work, but also whether they’re so intrusive that drivers end up switching them off.
The change comes as mandatory safety technologies become increasingly common in new vehicles sold in Australia, including some form of lane support, speed assistance, and driver monitoring systems.
“We’ve been making these changes to push manufacturers to make sure their systems are tuned for local driving conditions,” said Ms Hoorweg.
The updated protocols include a greater emphasis on how these systems behave during everyday driving, with ANCAP engineers now conducting real-world road assessments alongside traditional track testing.
That includes evaluating whether lane support systems are appropriately calibrated for local roads, how accurately vehicles recognise speed signs, and even how irritating their warnings are to live with.
“Now we’re starting to assess how annoying those systems are as well,” said Ms Hoorweg.
“That’ll be a function that our engineers will be performing in their real-world drive.”
Ms Hoorweg said the goal is to encourage manufacturers to develop safety systems that drivers actually want to leave switched on, rather than technologies that constantly interrupt or distract.
“[So] We’re not getting these horrendous beeping… cars that you can’t actually steer in the lane without it beeping because it’s so sensitive,” she said.
Importantly, Ms Hoorweg stressed ANCAP doesn’t require manufacturers to rely on audible alerts.
“By the way, beeping – we don’t require beeping.”
Instead, she said automakers are free to use a range of warning methods, including visual prompts or haptic feedback through the steering wheel.
“There’s a range of different ways that manufacturers can choose to alert a driver,” she said.
“You’ll see some of the very well-deployed systems use a haptic, a much more comfortable driving experience than constant beeping.”
The shift reflects broader changes to ANCAP’s 2026 assessment criteria, which place greater emphasis on the overall driving experience rather than simply ticking boxes for the presence of safety technology.
Under the new protocols, lane support systems will be assessed on how naturally they intervene, including how quickly steering assistance activates, how much effort is required for the driver to override the system, and how smoothly control is handed back.
ANCAP says driver monitoring systems should also adapt their behaviour depending on whether the driver appears attentive, distracted, or fatigued.
The organisation’s updated guidance states that well-designed driver monitoring systems should support motorists, “not irritate them”, while crash avoidance systems should become more or less sensitive depending on the driver’s level of engagement.
It’s a notable acknowledgement of growing criticism surrounding increasingly intrusive driver assistance technologies.
While systems such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring have contributed to improved vehicle safety, many motorists have complained about overly aggressive lane-centering, persistent speed warning chimes, and false driver attention alerts.
Rather than encouraging drivers to tolerate those frustrations, ANCAP now wants manufacturers to prove they can deliver safety systems that work effectively without becoming a distraction themselves.
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