Human Factors - Accident Investigation

The Subaru Crosstrek’s Dubious Title as the Most Crashed car In 2019

Jordan Ottesen - Usability Study

Did you know the Subaru Crosstrek is the most crashed car of 2019? Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s an excellent vehicle, but in 2019 it held the number one spot for most accidents. 1 in every 4 Crosstreks experienced an accident that year. That’s double the national average. I guess if there’s a car that’s more likely to wreck, at least it’s from a company that has some of the safest cars on the road. Seriously, the NHTSA gave the Crosstrek the highest safety rating possible. Sadly ironic really.

So I couldn’t help but be curious. Why the Crosstrek? If Subarus are praised for being so safe, why is their Crosstrek the most likely car to get into an accident?

Initial thoughts

To be fair there could be many contributors. It’s possible drivers are just extra distracted in their fancy outdoorsy car. Distracted driving is the leading cause of all car accidents after all. Maybe Crosstreks are just more likely to be on difficult roads like curvy mountain freeways or dirt roads. Add bad weather to those types of roads and you’re even more likely to be in trouble. It could have something to do with Demographics. Funny enough, Subaru’s are extremely popular in Maine, the state ranked #1 for worst drivers. Maybe Crosstrek drivers are overconfident. They know the car is safe and they drive less cautiously for it.

Of course Human Factors plays a big role here. More on that to come.

Based on the list I just gave you, if I had to guess the leading cause of Crosstrek catastrophes, I’d put my money on weather. I found a really interesting correlation between the top 10 states where people own Subarus and the top 10 coldest states. 5 of the top 10 Subaru states are also on the top 10 coldest states. Coincidence? Well… maybe. We’d need more research to confirm. But that’s a really interesting correlation nonetheless.

Usability issues? No. Human factors issues? Yes.

Now the point of this project is to look at the Human Factors that could have contributed to all these accidents. It would be easy to blame a lot of Crosstrek accidents on the human error. Just drive better, you dumb dumbs. But that’s not the purpose of user experience. We need to accommodate user needs, not condemn them. So which usability issues could be playing a role here?

To get a better look at the Crosstrek, I stepped into one virtually by using Subaru’s 360 photo of the interior. If I’m being totally frank, usability issues are hard to find in the Crosstrek’s design. I found it to be quite intuitive. The dashboard elements were oriented in a clear way. Everything was where I, a US adult with a driver’s license, thought it should be. It felt appropriately minimalist with nothing being too overbearing or complicated. It even had great visibility.

If I had to try to name an issue, it would be the touchscreen. That could easily distract the driver. If it’s as hard to connect a bluetooth device to this thing as my own car, that could definitely be a problem. Even so, that sort of stuff is a problem for many car models, not just the Crosstrek.

So let’s just be honest here. Subaru has done a lot to make sure their cars are safe. They probably have a whole team of human factors engineers who’ve literally designed this thing for safety. Who am I to critique?

I mean, look at their list of safety features.

These are just things that they can communicate to consumers. I can’t even imagine how many safety design decisions have gone into this car. With all of this in mind, I’m inclined to think that the high number of Crosstrek accidents is more likely to be attributed to outside factors than poor design.

The Vitruvian Man

Considering the user experience is everything the user goes through, I realized that looking at just the car itself wasn’t enough. There are many elements other than the design of the Crosstrek that impact the driver’s experience: street signs, other vehicles, road conditions, how drivers expect each other to behave, copious amounts of potential distraction, and the emotional, mental, and physical state of the drive.

It’s a lot.

The Vitruvian Man graphic can be used to categorize the human factors influencing Crosstrek accidents:

Socio-Cultural Factors

First let’s talk socio-cultural factors. Crosstreks are perceived and even advertised as outdoorsy cars. This probably means a lot of Crosstrek drivers take this thing on all sorts of dangerous roads. People often take friends on their outdoor adventures. More passengers means more distractions. More distractions means more accidents. These types of outings often require people to pack a lot of gear. Gear that takes up room in the back of their car and can potentially obstruct the driver’s vision in the rear view mirror.

And since we’re talking cultural influences here, I guess Maine just has a culture for bad driving ;)

Perceptual Factors

Perceptual factors are things people are able to see, hear, perceive.

Road signs for example can be difficult to see when driving on the winding roads common to Crosstreks. Often these types of roads don’t have clear markings, making it difficult for the driver to know where their lane is.

Bad weather like fog, rain, or snow can severely hinder the driver’s vision. Not only that, but even the curves in the road can make things tough. It’s scary when you can’t even see oncoming traffic.

Cognitive Factors

Cognitive factors deal with the way people think; the way they mentally process their surroundings. As far as cognitive factors go, I have a hypothesis that Crosstrek drivers have an over-reliance on safety features. Drivers may grow accustomed to the safety features and be less cautious. Or maybe they have a different car with safety features they’re accustomed to, then come to their outdoorsy car and forget the safety features aren’t in this one.

Additionally, the touchscreen could also be a problem. It’s a clear cognitive distraction that, if not used cautiously, could be a big contributor to car accidents.

The driver’s skill could also be a big factor here. If you’re taking your Crosstrek on a snowy road and you don’t know how to drive in snow… you’re gonna have a bad time.

Emotional and Motivational Factors

Emotional and motivational factors could likely be found in those who use the Crosstrek for vacations and social outing. While people take their Crosstreks out on vacation, they might be less cautious while in their jovial “time off” spirit.

While we’re talking about emotions, I figured I ought to mention Road rage. I realize this isn’t specific to the Crosstrek, but it is most certainly an emotional factor that causes accidents. Tons of other emotions could also be included here, like, for example stress from being late.

Physical Factors

Finally there are physical factors that are likely contributors to the high number of Crosstrek accidents. As mentioned previously, Crosstreks are popular in cold climates, so slippery roads could make physical control of the vehicle very difficult for the driver. 

So there you have it. Many of the human factors that may be contributing to the high Crosstrek wreck rate. It really is kind of wild that Subaru, a company known for its safety, also produces the most accident prone car. While they’re already designed for safety, there are just so many other factors that can influence someone’s ability to drive safely. Whether that be cognitive, physical, socio-cultural, emotional, or perceptual things, human factors play a big role in vehicular safety, and the Crosstrek is a prime example of that.

Maybe people are to blame. We should still design to their needs.

Usability doesn’t appear to be the issue here. It’s the imperfect human beings who drive Crosstreks that drive the accident rate. It really is kind of wild that Subaru, a company known for its safety, is also haunted by having the most accident-prone car. While they’re already designed for safety, there are just so many other factors that can influence someone’s ability to drive safely. Whether that be cognitive, physical, socio-cultural, emotional, or perceptual things, human factors play a big role in vehicular safety. The Crosstrek is a prime example of that.

This is why the study of Human Factors is so important. By understanding the people using the products we design, we can better accommodate their needs—and when it comes to vehicles, designing to those needs can make all the difference in safety.