Two new studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal that partial automation systems like Tesla's Autopilot and Volvo's Pilot Assist lead to increased driver distraction, raising safety concerns. The research found that drivers become more complacent over time, engaging in risky behaviors such as checking their phones or eating while driving.
A Tesla car with an Autopilot partial automation system is seen in a still frame from file video provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “At this point in time, there is no safety case for the partial automation ,” IIHS Senior Research Scientist Ian Reagan said.
The other study involved volunteers, also in Boston, driving provided Tesla cars with Autopilot systems. “Once they get comfortable with the technology, they're more distracted with these distractions that are risky, that we know increase crash risk compared to what we see with distraction levels when they're not using the automation,” he said.
Tesla’s partial automation system monitors the driver’s engagement and employs a series of escalating alerts to get their attention if they appear to be tuning out. IIHS researchers recorded about 4,000 alerts from the 14 volunteer drivers over the four-week period.As the study went along, the drivers learned the sequence of the attention reminders and got faster at jiggling the wheel or something to turn them off.
Autopilot Driver Distraction Safety Vehicle Automation IIHS
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