A staggering three quarters of motorists and drivers have incorrectly identified the purpose of a useful winter car feature. Drivers are being encouraged to familiarise themselves with a button present in many new cars that could prevent accidents and fines during the colder months.
Auto Trader’s research has shown that drivers, regardless of how long they’ve been behind the wheel, struggle to interpret the myriad of symbols in their vehicles. Erin Baker, editorial director at Auto Trader, commented: “Understanding a car’s centre console can be challenging, as symbols can vary between different brands.”
She added: “Our findings indicate that 36 million British motorists wrongly believe the air conditioning button acts as a de-icer when temperatures reach freezing conditions.” The study also found that over 40 per cent of drivers fail to recognise the function of window lock buttons when presented with an image of them.
Young drivers aged between 17 and 24 were particularly baffled by the recirculating air button, which isolates the interior from external air; half of these young motorists confessed to not knowing what it does. Additionally, the survey highlighted that the vehicle’s MEM button is the least understood symbol, with 77 per cent of participants admitting ignorance of its purpose, reports Birmingham Live.
Not standard in all cars, the memory button’s function can vary from saving a radio station to setting a car seat position.
The SYNC button serves two possible functions: it can either synchronise the passenger’s temperature and air-conditioning settings to match those of the driver, or aid in making hands-free phone calls. A staggering 73 per cent of drivers confessed to not understanding its purpose, making it the second most misunderstood control.
The snowflake symbol is intended to activate the cool air-conditioning. However, while 72 per cent of people professed to fully understand its function, only 28 per cent correctly identified it as such. The remainder seemed to think it was related to cold weather warnings or icy road conditions.