Almost half (48%) of UK motorists say the standard MOT should be updated to cover driver assistance technologies, such as autonomous emergency braking.

An emergency braking system undergoing testing

The research of 1,000 drivers by Autoglass found many are now aware of, and using, a range of different safety features and 49% recognise their benefits for safer driving but 42% don’t believe enough is being done to educate the public about the new technologies and 61% are unaware that they rely on sensors which may need to be calibrated after work has been done on their vehicle.

Meanwhile 61% agreed that it would be helpful to have a central database of the different technologies present in each make and model of car to enable repair garages to understand what technology is present.

Neil Atherton, sales and marketing director at Autoglass, said: “The lack of awareness on the need for proper maintenance is concerning, but not surprising, given how quickly many of them have been introduced to the market.

“Including a calibration as part of a regular MOT test, or for that matter, a regular vehicle service would be a great way of boosting general awareness. We do not want to reach a situation where a large proportion of drivers on the roads don’t know how to use and maintain the technology in their own vehicles and are putting their safety at risk as a result.”For more of the latest industry news, click here.