Cameras, radars, assistants — the modern car is supposed to watch the road better than the person behind the wheel. At least, that’s what most drivers believe. But the smarter the technology gets, the more often human attention slips — and according to one of the world’s top road safety experts, that shift is now costing lives.
Jean Todt, former FIA president and UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, puts it bluntly.
“Too many drivers don’t understand the capabilities of automated driving systems. We shouldn’t assume that technology can replace our attention,” Todt said.
The Safety in Motion study exposes a gap between what drivers feel and what professionals see. Nine out of ten drivers believe roads have become safer. Among transport industry professionals, only 45% agree — nearly half as many. In Brazil, China and India, the gap turns into a chasm: 94% of drivers feel safe, versus just 18% of experts. Coincidence? Hardly — these are the same countries where road deaths reach 16.2 per 100,000 people, twice the study’s average.
And here’s the key point: the hardware is barely to blame. Only 3% of surveyed professionals pointed to vehicle malfunction as the cause of crashes. Meanwhile, 30% linked accidents to misuse or misunderstanding of electronic assistants, and another 24% to plain driver distraction. Nearly two-thirds of industry respondents believe advertising oversells ADAS capabilities, creating a dangerous illusion that watching the road can now be done half-heartedly.
Adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic braking — all of it genuinely reduces driver workload. But none of it turns a car into a self-driving robot. Lane markings can vanish. A camera can be blinded by sun glare or caked in mud. A radar can register an unusual obstacle a moment too late. Sometimes that moment is all it takes.
The real risk doesn’t start in the wiring or the sensors. It starts the moment a driver decides someone — or something — else is now responsible for the road. Electronics can correct a mistake. They’re not obligated to beat the driver to it every single time.
