Why Drivers Find Tech Distracting, Not Safe
What was meant as a safety revolution is becoming a new hazard. The barrage of chimes, beeps, and steering grabs is fatiguing and undermines driver confidence. When every glance, lane change, or hand movement prompts a warning, you’re left anxious, second-guessing every action, and more distracted by the very systems meant to “assist.”
Many drivers—especially those upgrading from simpler, analog classics like an old Land Rover—report they can no longer simply “drive.” Instead, there’s a sense of surveillance: the car is watching, judging, and primed to intervene. For those needing reading glasses, the obsession with screen-based controls and digital dashboards makes even familiar routines stressful and sometimes dangerous, as they fumble through invisible menus instead of instinctively turning a knob.
Why Is This Happening? The NCAP Effect and the Race for Spec Sheets
The proliferation of intrusive tech is largely a result of safety rating requirements, particularly Europe’s NCAP system. Car companies must fit sophisticated monitoring and intervention tech as standard to earn high crash and safety scores. As more ratings and regulations require these features, fewer basic, analogue cars remain on sale. Carmakers, competing for five-star scores, often refuse to let buyers “opt out”—even for those willing to sacrifice a rating or assistance for simplicity and cost savings.
De-Teching: Making Simplicity an Option
The result is a steady chorus of calls for “de-teching” or offering technology as an opt-in, not a mandate. Many drivers would gladly trade a few theoretical safety points for a car that doesn’t surveil, beep, buzz, or require a digital manual to operate. Not only would this reduce purchase and repair costs, but it would also align with the market reality: when given the choice, the majority would skip the endless tech—especially older and enthusiast buyers.
The Way Forward: Consumer Choice, Please
As the sector moves forward, the loudest request isn’t for ever more digital nannies or screens—it’s for authentic choice. Let those who want the full suite of safety and connectivity have it, but make truly analog, tech-minimal cars available for those who see driving as an escape, not a software update. Automakers will find loyalty and word of mouth from buyers desperate for “real” cars—the old Land Rover mindset—where “less is more” is a virtue, not a flaw.
The next decade should be about regaining balance: blending essential safety with respect for driver autonomy and the joy of driving uncluttered by digital intrusion. After all, in the end, the best driver assist remains a focused, happy human behind the wheel.