09/10/2024

IIHS-HLDI: Crash Prevention Needle Hardly Moves for Vehicles with Partial Automation

Source: Fleet Management Weekly

New research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) finds that vehicles equipped with partial automation crash avoidance systems don’t really seem to do what they were designed to do.

“Everything we’re seeing tells us that partial automation is a convenience feature like power windows or heated seats rather than a safety technology,” IIHS President David Harkey said.

Recent studies of BMW and Nissan vehicles support the contention that while certain fully automated crash avoidance components can be relied upon, partial automated systems need to be purposefully engaged by the driver. Quite simply, many drivers ignore these features and fail to turn them on before driving. So, of course, they are useless in the event of a potential collision.

Partial automation safety systems include elements like cameras, cruise control and various sensors, which, while helpful, do not replace a driver’s ability to negotiate even the most routine traffic circumstances, let alone more challenging situations. Drivers are still required to utilize their behind-the-wheel skills to safely reach their intended destination.

Even when engaged properly, many drivers misconstrue these components as having the capacity to do more than they are designed to do, creating the unrealistic perception that they are in something akin to a self-driving car. They aren’t.

“With no clear evidence that partial automation is preventing crashes, users and regulators alike should not confuse it for a safety feature,” said Jessica Cicchino, Senior Vice President for Research at IIHS. “At a minimum, safeguards like those IIHS promotes through its rating program are essential to reduce the risks that drivers will zone out or engage in other distracting activities while partial automation is switched on.”

Interestingly, even the use of fully automated crash avoidance components such as AEB, blind spot warning alerts and lane departure systems can provide a driver with a false sense of being bullet-proof on the road. The problem here is that since these elements are usually engaged automatically, many drivers just take them for granted and ignore them even when warning signals and alerts are triggered by traffic hazards or worse.

To learn more about the IIHS-HLDI partial automation crash avoidance systems research results, click here.