January remains the most popular time of year to buy a new car, with 30,000+ new cars expected to be sold this month
- In-vehicle safety technology is a key consideration amongst 117,000* Irish new car buyers
- 21 percent of Irish millennials very reliant or somewhat reliant on safety technology; versus 18 percent of Gen Xers and 11 percent of baby boomers;
- Most in-demand in-car safety technology is reverse cameras, automatic emergency breaking, collision warning systems and blind-spot warning technology
- Liberty Insurance comment: “It is important that motorists appreciate that in-vehicle safety technology is not a shortcut to safe driving, but is instead designed to complement safe driving behaviours.”
Irish millennials are the generation most reliant on in-vehicle technology for safe driving, according to new research published by Liberty Insurance.
For Irish motorists, January is the most popular month to buy a new car. In January 2019, 32,370 new cars were sold and the motor industry expects a comparable, if slightly lower number of cars to be sold in Ireland in the same month this year.
In recent years, advancements in in-car safety technology have become a key consideration for consumers when researching and purchasing a new car.
Liberty’s survey, of 992 Irish motorists and a total of 8,010 Western European and US motorists, found that 21 percent of Irish millennials admit to being very or somewhat reliant on safety technology features including reversing cameras, automated emergency breaking, collision warning system and lane change assists when driving. This compares to 18 percent of Gen X motorists and 11 percent of baby boomers on the road.
Looking to our US and UK neighbours
While the findings suggest Irish millennials are more reliant on in-vehicle safety technology than their older peers, the cross-generational differential is more modest than in other markets.
23 percent of UK millennials claim to be very or somewhat reliant on in-car safety technology, versus 15 percent of Gen Xers and just five percent of baby boomers.
US motorists reported similar behaviours to their UK peers. 23 percent of US millennials are very or somewhat reliant on safety technology when driving, versus 16 percent of Gen Xers and seven percent of baby boomers.
In-demand safety features amongst car buyers
Amongst those surveyed in the Irish market, 43% cited reverse cameras as extremely or very important, and a further 42% claimed it was somewhat or slightly important. Only 15% of those surveyed suggested it was not at all important.
Other key findings include:
- 39 percent of Irish motorists cite automatic emergency breaking as extremely or very important; 46 percent consider it somewhat or slightly important; just 15 percent indicate that it is not at all important.
- 38 percent of Irish motorists cite collision warning systems as extremely or very important; 47 percent consider it somewhat or slightly important; just 15 percent indicate that it is not at all important.
- 38 percent of Irish motorists cite blind-spot warning systems as extremely or very important; 46 percent consider it somewhat or slightly important; just 16 percent indicate that it is not at all important.
- 27 percent of Irish motorists cite lane change assist as extremely or very important; 50 percent consider it somewhat or slightly important; just 23 percent indicate that it is not at all important.
Liberty comment
According to Mairead Carty, Motor Product Manager of Liberty Insurance:
“In the last decade we have seen significant advancements in road safety technology and these advancements are obviously to be welcomed given their capability to help make our roads safer.
“That said, it is important that motorists appreciate that this technology is not a shortcut to safe driving, but instead, a means of complementing existing safe driving behaviours.
“It will come as little surprise to learn that millennials are the generation of drivers most likely to rely on these new safety innovations as they have learnt to drive at a time when such features are increasingly commonplace. However, it is interesting to note that the differing behaviours between younger and older Irish motorists are not as marked as in other North American and Western European countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Portugal and France.”
