2025 AAMI Crash Index insight: Tips for co-driving with your car’s safety features
AAMI has recently released its annual Crash Index, this year focusing on the role of car safety features. As one in five Australian drivers admit to turning them off, our Motor Insights & Operations Manager Steve Cratchley gives his tips on how we can learn to “co-drive with our vehicles”.
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The 2025 AAMI Crash Index dives deep into why Australian drivers are not utilising the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in modern cars to their full benefit, analysing new research and more than 480,000 claims*.
It has revealed an alarming statistic – one in five Australian drivers are disabling their car's safety features.
Motor Insights & Operations Manager Steve Cratchley has worked at Suncorp for 20 years and has seen first-hand how the AAMI Crash Index, which is now in its 31st year, advocates for safer roads across the country.
“We normally focus on car accident hotspots in the AAMI Crash Index, but this year the message is to encourage people to engage with the technology in their cars to make roads safer for everyone,” he said.
“With cars getting safer with ADAS, we should be seeing fewer crashes, particularly nose to tail, but we aren’t seeing the rate drop as much as it should.”
Nose to tail was once again the most common type of crash.
Switch on to save lives
AAMI claims data shows that ADAS-enabled vehicles, with autonomous braking, are less likely to be involved in an accident compared to vehicles that do not have this technology*.
Of the one in five drivers that are turning off safety features, 69 per cent said they found them “annoying”, “distracting” and “too sensitive”.
The feature most dialled down or turned off was lane departure warning and lane keeping assist (45 per cent).
“It is a real concern that people are knowingly turning off safety features, it is like not wearing a seatbelt or disabling your airbags because they annoy you,” Mr Cratchley said.
“These modern features can save lives and reduce injuries, but the problem is a lot of people don’t understand how they work and fight against them.
“Knowing how to work with them is our biggest challenge.”
Learning to co-drive with your vehicle
“When I first started driving, my car reacted to everything I did and didn’t do anything to stop me, but nowadays we co-drive with our vehicles,” Mr Cratchley said.
“My car monitors what I am doing and what those around me are doing and it will try and stop me doing something risky, such as changing lanes when there is another vehicle or not looking ahead when the car in front brakes.
“Modern cars will react for you if you can’t react quickly enough."
Mr Cratchley had a nose to tail crash in his early 20s. Fortunately, he only had a small injury to his thumb, but "if it happened today the car would have braked automatically and it wouldn’t have been an accident or a claim,” he said.
AAMI research revealed that automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning were some of the most dialled down or turned off features.
Mr Cratchley has called for more education around ADAS and said that car dealers should be walking customers through their vehicle’s safety features when they do the handover and customers should be asking more questions.
He also highlighted the importance of doing this with every new vehicle as there is “no real standard in terms of this technology”.
There are different warnings depending on the brand of car; a flashing light in one modern vehicle could be a beep in another.
He also encourages drivers to watch video tutorials online to gain better knowledge.
But his biggest tip is going on short drives to build up confidence with the high-tech features in modern cars.
Motor Insights & Operations Manager, Steve Cratchley
Go on short drives with all the technology enabled in your car so you can learn how it works, interact with it and build confidence and trust until you eventually leave them on all the time.
“I never turn my safety features off. After having my vehicle for four years now I don’t feel them engaging as often as it has educated me and made me a better driver.”
Suncorp’s role as a road safety advocate
The AAMI Crash Index is a well-recognised and respected road safety campaign and it has led to change on our roads.
Advocacy is a core component of Suncorp’s strategy and our data has helped governments plan for future road projects and improvements.
This includes permanently reducing the speed limit on Australia's worst crash hotspot, which is Melbourne’s Plenty Road in Bundoora.
Our motor claims data has shown a 26 per cent reduction in accidents along the road**.
Executive General Manager Consumer Prevention & Protection Portfolio Anna Cartwright said that the insurer plays an important role in advocating for road safety.
EGM Consumer Prevention & Protection Portfolio, Anna Cartwright
As Australia’s largest car insurer, we have first-hand data and insights from the cause of accidents on our roads and we’re pleased to share our findings to prompt a change in behaviour to save lives.
Speaking about this year’s AAMI Crash Index car safety feature focus, Mr Cratchley added: “The technology landscape is changing and vehicles are getting safer, but some people are disengaging with these new benefits.
“Each year, we share the depersonalised results of the AAMI Crash Index with MPs, transport ministers and departments and the police."
*Claims insights from at fault drivers
Claims data collected from AAI Limited trading as AAMI. Data sourced from motor insurance claims from AAI Limited's portfolio of brands from 1 February 2024 to 28 February 2025.
The research findings were compiled through a national survey with a representative sample of 2,007 Australian car drivers aged 18+ and was conducted by Pure Profile in June 2025 on behalf of AAMI.
**Motor claims data from FY19-FY23.
