New Research Highlights The Importance Of Driver Attention In Automated Vehicles
Technology isn't an excuse to take your eyes off the road. GiphyNews that is entertaining to read
Subscribe for free to get more stories like this directly to your inboxMore automobiles than ever are equipped with partial self-driving capabilities or similarly automated features. And while these options can provide an extra layer of safety on the road, it’s important that drivers remain attentive while behind the wheel.
And a new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed some ways both automakers and motorists can make the most of this technology.
Who’s getting it right?
A key takeaway from the latest research is a link between making small steering wheel adjustments and improved driver engagement. That’s why partial automation features that allow drivers to take an active role in steering received high marks from the IIHS.
Two brands — Ford and Nissan — achieved this goal, respectively, with their BlueCruise and ProPilot Assist features.
By creating what researchers call “shared control,” the study determined that drivers using such features were “40-48 percent less likely than others to say they would keep their hands off the wheel in situations that would make most drivers nervous.”
Experts are increasingly worried about drivers who take their hands off the wheel (or worse yet, take their eyes off the road) because they believe technology has made such attentiveness obsolete. And while shared control might be one way to address the issue, not every automaker is on board.
Who’s getting it wrong?
According to the IIHS, partially automated systems like Super Cruise by General Motors or Tesla’s Autopilot are designed to turn off their lane-centering functions when a driver steers the wheel.
Of course, no system is perfect and none can replace a human driver. As researchers advised, it’s motorists themselves who often put too much trust in these features and allow themselves to become distracted.
But if humans and machines can start working in harmony, we might soon see much safer roads everywhere.