BYD, GWM owners using covers to silence ‘annoying’ safety features

16 hours ago 20

Overzealous alerts from driver monitoring systems in new BYD and GWM vehicles have prompted customers to obscure the cameras with 3D-printed plastic covers.


Alex Misoyannis
BYD, GWM owners using covers to silence ‘annoying’ safety features

Safety organisation ANCAP has distanced itself from "modifications" developed by owners of BYD Shark 6 utes and other Chinese cars to pacify "annoying" audible warnings from the crash-avoidance systems needed to earn top marks in crash testing.

A number of so-called 'dust covers' have appeared on marketplaces such as eBay to obscure vehicles' driver monitoring systems (DMS), which use a camera pointed at the human's eyes to check for inattention and fatigue.

The technology has been criticised by customers and media – on the Shark 6 and dozens of other vehicles – as overactive, and prone to beeping at the driver for quick glances away from the road to adjust the radio or check mirrors.

Now these alerts have prompted some crafty owners with home 3D printers to sell plastic covers that obscure the camera.

BYD, GWM owners using covers to silence ‘annoying’ safety features

Prices range from $5 to $16.99 for examples listed on eBay for the BYD Shark 6 ute, with customers able to choose between a blank piece to match the camera surround, or more extroverted designs with red BYD or 'SHARK' logos.

One website is charging $35 for a similar piece of plastic, which it says will also fit the BYD Sealion 7 electric SUV, equipped with a similar driver monitoring system.

Many of the websites selling these products caution that they are intended for "off-road and track use only," should customers who fit them end up on the wrong side of the law, and choose to blame the supplier.

Driver monitoring systems are not a legal requirement in new vehicles, and can be freely turned off via the touchscreen, so covering the cameras – to produce the same effect as switching the feature off – is not understood to be illegal.

Despite the simplicity of the product – a plastic part the size of a thumb – the aftermarket accessory appears to be hitting the spot for Shark 6 owners.

"Works instantaneously and stops the driver being continuously monitored by 'BYD big brother'," one customer said in an eBay review, "I was getting over, at every roundabout, being reprimanded for taking my eyes off the road".

Another customer said: "Item works as expected – no more annoying messages when I yawn! Thanks."

BYD, GWM owners using covers to silence ‘annoying’ safety features

Driver monitors are on a long list of advanced systems now required to earn top marks in safety testing by the Australasian New-Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

While the safety organisation's criteria have prompted car makers to fit these systems, it has been criticised for not doing enough to ensure they are not annoying or intrusive in the real world, and have not been developed just to ace its testing.

Sister organisation Euro NCAP has admitted it is "upset" that car makers have invested the minimum amount of effort needed to develop safety systems that meet five-star test criteria, rather than ensuring they work well in the real world.

While it has not addressed the accessories by name, ANCAP does not appear to be pleased with the driver monitoring covers.

BYD, GWM owners using covers to silence ‘annoying’ safety features

"ANCAP strongly advises against modifications that disable or interfere with a vehicle’s built-in safety systems, including driver monitoring systems," ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said in a written statement to Drive.

"These systems play a vital role in reducing fatigue and distraction-related crashes.

"As with all safety features, it is important that manufacturers ensure proper implementation and undertake user testing to confirm the systems deliver their intended safety benefit, while minimising the potential for unnecessary in-cabin distraction or frustration."

BYD Australia declined to comment on the accessory when approached by Drive, but a spokesperson said it would "encourage drivers to use the DMS as it is intended."

Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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