DRIVERS responded to a survey, revealing that a shocking number of drivers cannot correctly identify what the lights on their dashboard mean.
Additionally, 700 drivers admitted that they ignore their dashboard lights when they come on.
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Dionysusa Seattle, Washington-based car seat company asked 2,000 drivers to respond to a survey asking several questions about the warning lights that may appear on their dashboards.
To help better understand the extent to which American drivers understood the lights and their meaning, the company asked drivers to identify the lights later in the survey.
When the survey results came back, Diono researchers were surprised by what they saw.
No one was more surprised to discover that 700 drivers (35%) admitted to ignoring a warning light than Tim Maule, CEO of Diono.
Read more about dashboard lights
“Drivers’ understanding of what the warning signs on their vehicles mean can be the difference between life and death, for you, your passengers or other road users,” he was quoted in a company statement.
“These warning signs are there for your safety and should never be ignored. If any of them appear, do not ignore them.”
Maule went on to say that the availability of advanced technology leaves no room for excuses.
“If you don’t know what a warning sign means, consult your car manual or take a photo and check with Google or ChatGPT to find out what it means and seek expert mechanical help if appropriate,” he said.
When asked why they would ignore a traffic light, many (29%) said it was because the car was “still running,” so they moved on.
More than half (51%) of respondents admitted they found dashboard lights “confusing” or “not simple.”
Additionally, 640 drivers (32%) indicated that they were “fairly confident” in their ability to identify all warning lights.
Only 160 drivers (7%) wrote that they were “very confident” in their identification abilities.
Almost half of those interviewed (49%) identified that the warning light was intended to alert the driver about the activation of the high beams.
If a dashboard light came on while driving, only 15% indicated they would stop to inspect the vehicle, while more drivers were likely to detour to an auto repair shop (27%).
Of all the warning lights, the majority of drivers (63%) correctly identified the “check engine light,” while a shocking amount (17%) mistook the light for a “check engine tool kit” warning.
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Diono’s research asked 2,000 people aged 18 to 65 to answer questions relating to identifying dashboard warning lights. Here are some highlights of the results:
- 51% consider dashboard symbols confusing and not very direct.
- 32% of US drivers feel very confident identifying all warning lights on their dashboards.
- 35% admit to having ignored a car’s warning light before.
- Only 72% can identify a tire pressure warning, but 14% mistake it for an order to stop and eat.
- A surprising 49% of drivers incorrectly identified the “high beams on” sign
- 8% are not at all confident in their ability to identify warning lights.
- 22% are slightly confident,
- 31% are moderately confident,
- 32% feel quite confident and
- Only 7% are extremely confident.
When asked how they would handle the warning lights:
- 15% would stop their vehicle immediately if a warning light appeared, demonstrating a cautious approach.
- 19% would continue driving and wait for the problem to go away, risking potential damage.
- 34% would call someone, such as a family member, or search on Google to understand the warning,
- 27% would go straight to a mechanic shop,
- 5% admit they would ignore the light unless something seemed wrong.
Ease of symbol recognition:
- 29% find symbols easy to understand,
- 51% find them confusing and
- 20% are not sure whether the dashboard symbols are clear or not.
Probability of ignoring warning lights:
- 67% are unlikely to ignore a warning light, showing some level of responsibility,
- 21% are likely to ignore this, and
- 12% are very likely to reject it outright.
Admission of ignoring warnings:
- 35% ignored a warning light at least once,
- 55% never ignored one, and
- 10% are not sure if so.
Reasons for ignoring warnings:
- 10% were unsure,
- 21% did not know what the warning light meant,
- 29% said the car was still running, so it continued,
- 24% feared the costs involved in any repairs,
- 16% were confident they knew what this meant and felt safe to continue.
Source: Dionysus
The hardest light for drivers to get right was the light designed to warn drivers that the front fog lights were activated, with the majority of drivers responding incorrectly (68%).
A surprising amount (13%) responded that the traffic light was to tell them to go green.
Another complicated light was the high beam warning light.
Many drivers (42%) mistook the light for a sign that the standard headlights were on.
Most surprising is what nearly 300 drivers thought the low tire pressure warning meant.
Although the majority of respondents indicated correctly (72%), 280 drivers thought the traffic light was encouraging them to stop and eat (14%).
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE WARNING LIGHTS?
See if you can beat the odds and spot all the warning lights.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
