Smart cars being weaponised in domestic violence cases

There should be an onus on car manufacturers to detect abuse, Julie Inman Grant says. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Abusers are increasingly turning to smart cars to perpetrate violence and control over their victims, Australia's online safety boss warns.

Frontline service providers say there has been an increase in reports of coercive control through smart cars linked to apps and cloud accounts that can start the engine, send an alert and monitor the vehicle's location.