Automated driving hype is dangerously confusing drivers

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

Names like 'Enhanced Autopilot' and 'IntelliSafe Autopilot' are confusing motorists into thinking that they can buy autonomous cars now. They can't, and the confusion could be dangerous.

Despite their protests to the contrary, it seems that manufacturer hype around the capabilities of their semi-autonomous driver assists has led to much confusion among motorists, with a new study showing that 71 per cent of drivers around the world believe they can purchase a self-driving car right now and, most alarmingly, more than 10 per cent think it would be fine to grab a quick nap behind the wheel while the current level of technology handles the driving!

These astonishing findings are just a couple of the many worrying perceptions uncovered by the #TestingAutomation study commissioned by Thatcham Research, Euro NCAP and Global NCAP which has discovered potentially dangerous false impressions around the apparent self-driving capability of new cars and the safe usage of driver assist technologies.

Matthew Avery, Director of Research at Thatcham Research comments, 'Some carmakers are designing and marketing vehicles in such a way that drivers believe they can relinquish control. Carmakers want to gain competitive edge by referring to 'self-driving' or 'semi-autonomous' capability in their marketing, but it is fuelling consumer confusion. This is exacerbated by some systems doing too much for the driver, who ends up disengaged.

While the latest semi-autonomous assists are remarkably capable, the driver must still pay attention at all times and remain fully in control of the car.

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'Our message is that today's technology supports the driver. It is not automated driving and it is not to be relied upon at the expense of driver attentiveness. The driver is in control and must always remain alert. If used correctly Highway Assist systems will improve road safety and reduce fatalities, but they won't if naming and marketing convinces drivers that the car can take care of itself.'

The most worrying findings from the study include:

18 per cent of motorists think that a car marketed as being capable of automatic steering, braking and acceleration allows them to 'sit back and relax and let the car do the driving'
Many respondents said that they would be tempted to break the law while using an Assisted Driving system by texting on a mobile phone (34 per cent), making a hand-held call (33 per cent) or having a brief nap (11 per cent).
Only half (51 per cent) of drivers believe they would be liable in the event of a crash when using Assisted Driving systems.
The top three brands drivers believe sell fully self-driving cars today are: Tesla (40 per cent), BMW (27 per cent) and Audi (21 per cent)

'The lack of driver training and standardised controls, symbols and names for these features, is further muddying the waters for consumers,' suggests Avery. Most drivers agreed, with 74 per cent saying that all new car models should have standardised conventions for features such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Aids. In addition, 77 per cent said they would be happy to watch a short training video or take an online course to better understand the functionality and limitations of a new car's Assisted Driving technologies.

At the same time as the release of the study Euro NCAP has also released assessments of the assistance technologies in ten new cars, to help consumers better understand the limits of the systems.

The new assessments compared the performance of Highway Assist systems in ten cars: the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, DS 7 Crossback, Ford Focus, Hyundai NEXO, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Toyota Corolla and the Volvo V60.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General said, 'Euro NCAP's message from these tests is clear - cars, even those with advanced driver assistance systems, need a vigilant, attentive driver behind the wheel at all times. It is imperative that state-of-the-art passive and active safety systems remain available in the background as a vital safety backup.'

Euro NCAP's test found something retty obvious; no car on the market today offers full automation or autonomy and it said that cars on the market today can provide driver assistance but this should not be confused with automated driving - the driver remains fully responsible for safe driving.

'These new Euro NCAP assessments are a heads-up for drivers on what these systems can and can't do and starkly shows their limitations, proving beyond any doubt that they are not autonomous,' said Avery.

'It's a delicate balancing act for carmakers. Offer too much assistance to the driver and they disengage, offer too little and the driver thinks 'what's the point?' and switches the system off. The best systems are those that support the driver but leave them in no doubt that they remain in control.'