Some auto safety features give car shoppers pause

Getting a warning about a dangerous driving situation is good, but having the car's technology take the controls isn't. That's the finding of a new Consumer Reports survey. 

Blind-spot warning systems and rear-view cameras ranked high among safetly features shoppers sought. But they were less eager about technology like adaptive cruise control, which automatically slows down or speeds up the car to keep pace with surrounding traffic.

"These haven't even been out long enough to have proven themselves safe, so it seems natural that drivers want to maintain control until the technology proves its effectiveness," said Kelly Funkhouser, program manager for vehicle interface at Consumer Reports. "Consumers don't yet think their cars are better drivers than they are -- but they want their cars to help them become better drivers." 

The warning features that shoppers like have shown their effectiveness. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a blind-spot warning system can reduce crashes by 14 percent and rear-view cameras by 17 percent.

The survey covered 2,009 drivers who said they planned to buy a new or used car in the next two years. Of those surveyed, 51 percent said it was important that their next car have a rear-view camera or backup warning, and 45 percent said they wanted a blind-spot warning.

Highly automated systems such as Tesla's AutoPilot scored poorly. Only about of 11 percent of respondents were interested in having such technology.

Features that involve some degree of control of the car fell in the middle. Adaptive cruise control found interest with 28 percent of respondents, while 21 percent liked lane-keep assist, which steers a vehicle back into its lane if it crosses over a lane marker.

Those systems may become more popular if they start working more smoothly or issue fewer false positives, said analyst Sam Abuelsamid of consulting and research firm Navigant.

The new approach to safety is avoiding accidents. "Most new cars get high crash test scores," said Consumer Reports' Funkhouser. "So people are starting to look for the features that help them avoid those crashes in the first place."