Modern vehicles are more than just a transportation device, they support the driver with everyday tasks such as parking, keeping your distance from the vehicle in-front, remaining in-lane or parking. We have become more reliant on certain in-car technologies; new drivers may never learn how to drive without them.
Driving tests have incorporated GPS navigation since 2017, emphasising the shift in driving behaviour. Most modern cars from around 2018 onwards feature Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as parking sensors, cameras, hill assist, autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. It would be no surprise that younger drivers may be less confident driving without these practical features.
Even older generations, who likely learned to drive without the bells and whistles in their car, are changing how they drive whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. We investigated how older adults feel about in-car technology and the impact on driving behaviour. Our data indicates frequent use of in-car tech but reserved admission of reliance on it.
Our findings point to a discrepancy between the perceived impact of in-car assistance and the reality of regularly outsourcing seemingly simple driving tasks. On one hand, drivers say technology is embedded in their driving habits: according to YouGov’s 2026 survey, 53% say they cannot live without GPS, rising to 68% among Gen Z and falling to 43% among Baby Boomers. Usage is not limited to navigation either. Parking sensors, reversing cameras and smartphone integration are among the most frequently used systems and many respondents report using at least nine assistive technologies on a regular basis.
When asked about ADAS such as assistive parking, respondents most commonly (31%) noted that it has ‘somewhat influenced’ how they park and manoeuvre. A further 18% say parking technology has influenced their behaviour ‘a fair amount’. In contrast, the majority 57% also say they are ‘very confident’ parking without assistive technology. Older cohorts appear exceptionally confident driving without support but still admit that it has influenced their driving behaviour.
Key stats:
● 53% say they cannot live without a GPS (YouGov, 2026)
● Parking sensors, reversing cameras and smartphone integration are the most frequently used ADAS (ALA, 2026)
● 31% say that ADAS have ‘somewhat influenced’ their parking behaviour (ALA, 2026)
● But 57% are ‘very confident’ parking without assistance (ALA, 2026)
It’s clear that most drivers feel as if in-car technology benefits them, but many separate their usage from their own capabilities. Our survey suggests that drivers are comfortable acknowledging convenience and support, but less comfortable acknowledging dependency. According to YouGov, satellite navigation is treated as essential, but navigation skills are reportedly intact.
51% report no change to their navigational ability over the past five years despite an increase in GPS usage. Parking technology is also used frequently, but confidence in manual parking remains high. While safety systems and assistive tech are welcomed, only 3% would say it makes them a better and safer driver. In fact, 20% believed that in-car tech makes them a less attentive driver. A further 31% feel like in-car tech makes them safter but not more skilled.
Key stats:
● 51% report no change in navigation ability despite an increase in GPS usage over five years (ALA, 2026)
● 3% think ADAS make them a better and safer driver (ALA, 2026)
● 20% believed ADAS makes them a less attentive driver (ALA, 2026)
● 31% feel like in-car tech makes them a safer but not more skilled driver (ALA, 2026)
This matters because the wider evidence shows that advanced driver-assistance systems enhance road safety. For example, autonomous emergency braking cuts rear-end collision rates by 50% and the warning alone reduced front-end crashes by 27%. Lane keeping assist reduces the risk of some of the most severe crashes by 19%. Smartphone integration such as Apple Car Play was designed to reduce the cognitive demand of using technology to combat distracted driving. On the flipside, adaptive cruise control slightly increased crash rate (+12%), likely due to drivers depending on it to make decisions for them.
While it can enhance safety, there are always risks that overreliance on assistive technology can reduce our attentiveness to our surroundings and possible hazards. It It’s now a legal requirement for new cars to be fitted with ADAS, so the likelihood of needing to drive without assistance is low but if it failed without any warning, could it put drivers at a greater risk?
Key stats:
● AEB cuts rear-end collisions by 50% (University of Melbourne)
● Lane assist technology reduces the risk of severe crashes by 19% (University of Melbourne)
● Smartphone integration technology reduces distraction time (University of Utah and AAA Traffic Foundation for Traffic Safety)
● Adaptive cruise control increases collision risk by 12% (University of Melbourne)
The data suggests a meaningful gap between how drivers think in-car technology affects them and how their behaviour suggests it does. Drivers appear to recognise that technology does not make them more attentive and often doesn’t make them an actively safer or more skilled driver. However, they also rank their ability to navigate, manoeuvre and drive unchanged.
The bottom line is that ADAS, GPS and integrated displays reduce the cognitive demand on drivers which doesn’t inherently mean that you lose the skills to perform the tasks manually. However, researchers have found that regular GPS usage reduces spatial memory and you may lose confidence in skills you don’t practice regularly. So, despite ADAS effectively reducing accidents; the real safety challenge is not the technology itself; it is the confidence gap created when drivers feel fully in control while increasingly outsourcing parts of the driving task. Our data helps acknowledging the confidence gap and the reliance on modern tech, so you can start putting the right protection in place for your safety and the safety of other road users.
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