Why Modern Cars With High-Tech Safety Features Are Getting Involved In Fatal Crashes

• Fatal road accidents involving high-end cars have raised concerns about the reliability of modern safety features fitted on vehicles
• Car expert Erick Wokabi explained the benefits and limitations of advanced safety technologies like lane departure assist and adaptive cruise control
• According to Wokabi, poorly marked roads and human error contribute significantly to accidents, despite vehicles being equipped with advanced safety systems
• Wokabi emphasised the importance of driver responsibility and capacity building by NTSA and KENHA in ensuring road safety, stating that no vehicle is "idiot-proof.”

Muyela Roberto is a business journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 9 years of experience in the digital media, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

In the past two months, Kenyan roads have become a tragic hotspot for deadly accidents. The grim reaper has literally been making a killing, if the rising death toll is anything to go by.

Just two weeks ago, 12 people returning from a ceremony lost their lives at the notorious Nithi Bridge. This crash reignited memories of the 2022 Modern Coast bus tragedy at the same location, where at least 34 people died.

On August 20, another devastating accident occurred at the infamous Migaa area along the Salgaa stretch of the Nairobi-Eldoret Highway, claiming at least 13 lives. The crash involved a bus and a Toyota Passo.

High-end cars crashing on Kenyan roads

In the same month, a brand-new Range Rover being delivered to a client met a horrific fate along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.

The luxury SUV collided head-on with an oncoming Isuzu FRR lorry during an attempted overtaking manoeuvre. Both the driver and a female passenger lost their lives.

A new Audi also crashed recently after colliding with a Mercedes-Benz, causing injuries to the occupants of both vehicles.

On the weekend of September 7 and 8, another new Range Rover rammed into the rear of a stalled trailer along Thika Road, killing the young driver behind the wheel.

The impact was so severe that the Range Rover Sport was reduced to a heap of scrap metal, despite the trailer's underride guards. This led many to speculate about the speed at which the vehicle was travelling.

What’s alarming is that the vehicles involved in these recent crashes are all fairly new, equipped with modern navigation and crash-prevention systems.

This has left many wondering why vehicles long perceived as safe—such as Range Rovers, Audis, and Mercedes-Benzes—are involved in such fatal accidents.

TUKO.co.ke reached out to car review expert Erick Wokabi from AutokonnektKenya to shed light on how the safety features in modern vehicles work, their limitations, and whether they could be posing hidden dangers to drivers and other road users.

Which safety features are fitted in modern cars?

According to Wokabi, tremendous progress has been made in making modern cars safer. He revealed that most car models from 2015 onwards have been equipped with driver assistance systems.

For top-trim vehicles, which come at higher costs, he explained they are fitted with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), some of which have the capacity to take control of the vehicle in case the driver is incapacitated or during an emergency.

The most popular budget models, Wokabi observed, have been equipped with several safety sensors like lane departure warning, rear-view cameras, blind-spot monitoring, and forward collision monitoring.

"The systems use technologies like radar, lidar, sonar, and cameras to improve safety. The driver can't see 360 degrees, but a camera can. Humans can't see in the dark, but technology like radar and sonar can. So, these systems, which can be turned on and off, send warnings to the driver in the form of sound, vibrations, or lights to inform them about objects in their blind spots. The technologies are good but also have limitations.

"For instance, they are limited where the roads are not well marked. The cameras and sensors read road markings, which they use to inform the driver about the vehicle's position. In the case of lane departure assist, if the camera reads that the driver is changing lanes without indicating, it sends a warning, assuming this is a mistake, manoeuvre," explained Wokabi.

Limitations of lane departure warnings

Apart from poorly marked roads, Wokabi said that most systems are unable to recognise other hazards, such as falling debris from a vehicle ahead or potholes that might force the driver to change lanes without indicating.

This, he noted, could pose a danger in vehicles with very advanced systems that have the power to correct inputs they deem erroneous.

"Now, picture this: the driver is avoiding something falling from a vehicle ahead, but since the vehicle is too advanced, it corrects the input by re-centering the vehicle in its original lane. This can lead to an accident.

"Vehicles like Subaru have an advanced system called EyeSight. This is a set of high-tech cameras mounted atop the windshield. They read the road, and if they sense an obstacle ahead and the driver isn't braking, they brake the vehicle. This could save a life, like a child chasing a ball into the road. However, in heavy traffic, the vehicle might brake without warning, and the car behind without such technology might rear-end you," he continued.

In his view, Wokabi expressed that most of the accidents on Kenyan roads were largely caused by human error.

Other critical factors contributing to road accidents, he said, include poor road design and the increasing number of vehicles on Kenyan roads.

"In the hands of an irresponsible driver, no vehicle is safe—no vehicle is idiot-proof. It boils down to personal responsibility. Don't overtake on unclear stretches, don't overspeed, and don't drink and drive.

"As long as you understand your vehicle and use common sense, the road will be fairly safe. Safety starts with the driver, not the car," Wokabi stated, calling for the sensitisation of drivers and road users.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), he said, needed to invest in capacity building and bring on board experts to improve road safety.

He criticised the trend where high-level crackdowns are mounted after fatal crashes, only to be halted when accidents seem to have stopped.

"More patrols are needed on highways. Stalled vehicles should be removed from the road, but before that, warning signs and lights need to be erected to warn other road users of hazards ahead," he expressed.

To reduce fatalities during accidents, he called for a review of how motor vehicles, especially PSVs, are being fabricated.

"Sharp metals are everywhere, and they are not cushioned. During a crash, these metals kill you. Regarding the installation of roll cages, there should be a standard requirement that they be mounted on the chassis and not the floor as some do," he urged.

How other modern features in vehicles work

According to Wokabi, in most vehicles, the safety features can be manually disabled, allowing the driver to override or ignore some of the corrective actions the vehicle may attempt to make.

• Adaptive cruise control: This feature enables the driver to follow a vehicle ahead at a safe distance without the need to accelerate or brake.

• Adaptive headlights: High-trim vehicles have clever headlights that adjust their angle while turning, giving the driver better vision. They also illuminate special road markings such as road signs, obstacles, and pedestrians. Additionally, they auto-adjust when there is an oncoming vehicle.
• Blind-spot monitoring: Using special cameras and sensors, blind-spot monitors inform the driver of objects in areas that side mirrors and rear-view mirrors can’t see. In advanced vehicles, they send a blinking light on the side mirror or a sound warning when a vehicle is dangerously positioned in the blind spot.

• Electronic stability control: This feature allows the engine to send appropriate braking or acceleration to individual wheels, improving navigation on bad terrain like slippery roads or steep descents.
• Facial recognition: This AI-driven tech reads the driver’s facial expressions, recognising signs of fatigue, yawning, or drowsiness. If the system detects a lack of steering input, braking, or acceleration for a long time, it stops the vehicle, parks it safely on the shoulder, and turns on the hazard lights. This feature, just like lane departure assist, is heavily dependent on road markings.

In conclusion, Wokabi notes that while modern vehicles come with cutting-edge safety features designed to prevent accidents, they are not foolproof.

He states that drivers can override or ignore prompts, and as such, it is crucial for all road users to remain aware of their surroundings and for drivers to know the limitations of their vehicle systems.

Ultimately, he underscores that road safety depends not just on advanced features but on responsible driving, good maintenance, proper roads, the use of common sense, and adherence to traffic laws.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article serves purely educational purposes. We do not wish to cause harm or distress to those who have lost loved ones in road accidents, and we extend our deepest sympathies to all affected.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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