Driver assistance systems are great, aren’t they? Cars today can alert drivers to other drivers in their blind spot, help them keep centered in their driving lane, provide assistance during long drives on the highway, and even parallel park, the bane of most drivers living in the city. So, why is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) getting all fussy about them? Apparently, according to a study IIHS recently conducted, they’re not as safe as they seem.

This can’t be, right? Self-driving cars are becoming an ever closer reality as more self-driving technology continues to become more advanced. We’re no way near level 5 autonomy on a commercial scale, but many automakers are trying to get there. Right now, we have level 3 autonomy as the most popular feature to give drivers more freedom on the road. The Kia Corp has Highway Driving Assist, Mitsubishi Motors has the MI-PILOT driving system, and Volvo has the Pilot Assist System. All of these help drivers navigate the highway in various traffic conditions to make long drives a little more bearable.

According to two studies by IIHS, that’s not always the case. Ian Reagan, IIHS senior research scientist, drove a used 2017 Volvo S90 sedan with Pilot Assist alongside many other volunteers driving other vehicles with similar features. Over the course of three years, Reagan covered more than 12,000 miles with Pilot Assist active over the course of three years to collect data on how effective such driving systems are. Out of nearly 4000 attention-related warnings the system recognized and alerted the driver of, 72 of those instances were ignored. Drivers did not respond quickly enough to prevent an incident in response to the warning.

What does this mean? Even though such assistance systems are in place, they’re not a replacement for responsible driving. Well, duh. It’s level 3 autonomy, which means a driver still needs to be behind the wheel and actively paying attention to the road. Too many drivers forget about that fact and play on their phone, because hey, forward collision warning will chime in if they’re getting too close to the car in front of them. Many of the drivers had not used partial automation technology prior, but over the course of the study, they became more comfortable and allowed themselves to become distracted. They most likely assumed Pilot Assist would take care of any potential incidents.

"There is a need and importance for a really robust protocol that makes sure that the drivers are engaged in the driving task…There's this concern that drivers will become more complacent." – Reagan

Just like fully autonomous vehicles, certain regulations and rules need to be put in place for these driver assistance systems to be deemed safe. This will only lead to drivers thinking such systems “passed the test” and they’re safe when getting behind the wheel and using something like Pilot Assist on the highway. It also means they might be more inclined to take their eyes off the road. Although a little outdated, a 2006 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the risk of an auto incident increases exponentially in as little as 1.5 seconds of not paying attention. That’s not a lot, is it?

Until we have higher levels of automation that can remove the need of a human driver, we can’t just rely on driver assistance systems to do the heavy lifting. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience someone has behind the wheel – complacency can lead to disaster in no time at all. Want to learn more about automated safety systems like Pilot Assist and self-driving technology? Follow along with us on NowCar social media.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Motors