Partially automating vehicles with driver assist systems isn’t preventing crashes beyond what other safety features already offer, according to the data, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) claims after researching vehicle models equipped with such technologies.
In fact, some systems could be encouraging drivers to be less attentive to their surroundings while failing to take up the slack, according to the IIHS’s reported results.
Partial automation, IIHS argues, should not be considered to be one of a vehicle’s safety features at all. The organization’s president David Harkey said “everything we’re seeing tells us that partial automation is a convenience feature like power windows or heated seats rather than a safety technology.”
Automating routine highway driving tasks tends to make the driving experience boring when the system is active. This reduced engagement causes driver attention to wander so that users “zone out or engage in other distracting activities.” However, other modern safety features do have a measurable benefit in preventing accidents, per IIHS findings.
(Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors)
Adaptive cruise control (ACC), which modifies speed to enable safe following distances and carries out similar adjustments, was one of the most effective safety features, cutting down damage claims by 25 percent when combined with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems. Without ACC, the warning and braking systems cut collision claims by 7 to 8 percent and property damage claims by 13 percent.
However, adding partial automation did not increase the effectiveness of any of these safety features in a statistically measurable way. A secondary study by an IIHS research VP, Jessica Cicchino, initially found indicators that semi-autonomous driver assist was improving vehicle safety, but further investigation showed no difference on the highways where semi-autonomous driving is switched on, indicating other factors were responsible for the differences.
These findings would seem to indicate that the GM Super Cruise driver assist feature isn’t making owners of vehicles that equip the technology any safer. Good news for the safety-conscious comes in the form of The General’s Automatic Emergency Braking technology, however, which is equipped as standard in 94 percent of 2024 models from the automaker, up from just 42 percent in 2021.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will require automatic emergency braking as a standard feature on new passenger vehicles by September 2029. However, GM and other automakers argue the standard is too stringent, claiming a requirement that collisions be completely avoided at up to 62 mph is beyond current technology.
In summary, IIHS research VP Cicchino remarked that there exists “no clear evidence that partial automation is preventing crashes” adding that “users and regulators alike should not confuse it for a safety feature.”
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Comments
Confirming what everyone knew. Automated driving causes people to be distracted, even if forced to look forward or keep their hands on the wheel. Since there is nothing for the driver to do, they zone out. And when they NEED to do something it takes a second or two longer, which can be fatal. Until Level 5 autonomous works, your fancy feature is worthless for safety.
Good to know about ACC, but I found the “safe following distance” description to be somewhat surprising. The wife’s Subaru has adjustable following distance and most of the settings are way too close for my comfort. Although I suppose closer distances can be safe with ACC because ACC will respond faster than a human response???? I wonder how well it would deal with a car in front rear ending another car (and thus stopping faster than otherwise possible).
GM’s Super Cruise can be used on so few roads it’s not surprising that it hasn’t had a measurable effect. I’m generally interested in safety features, but so far SC has not really interested me based on cost and limitations.
There are other factors (beyond reaction times). Consider a hi-po car in front of you. It will stop in as little as 95 feet from 60. Average car is 120-140′. So if you are say 50′ behind the hi-po, and your car is a 140 car, even 0 reaction time will have you rear end the car. (140-95-50) < 0. I am unaware of tables in cars with AEB to compensate for braking distance differences.
True. Opposite situation: I’ve wondered if trucks change the distance when towing, or if all the manufacturers just recommend not using ACC while towing.
My Toyota and my BMW Motorcycle both have what they called Dynamic Safety System or ACC Active Cruise Control and work well. My 2021 Corvette has zero, so we do not even bother using cruise control, too dangerous.
Nuff said. These systems work well, but as stated by others, you still have to pay attention…..
My big complaint has to do with active lane keeping assist systems. Several times, while driving on country roads, with the cruise control OFF, I passed a pedestrian walking on the roadside. I steered to the left to give clearance but the lane assist saw I was going outside of my lane and applied the right brakes to pull the car to the right! Directly into the path of the person walking! Same thing happened when trying to avoid a bicyclist, and even when trying to avoid potholes and puddles.
So if these systems are to be installed on every car, it MUST be accompanied by a pedestrian identification system that is always active and can see people on the side of the road.
Obviously, I deactivated the system on my car, but what if they are not able to be turned off?
I think the NHTSA needs to investigate
You could probably avoid that by using your turn signal before going out of lane. That’s what I have to do on my 2019 GM’s alarm system.
Guys, it does not say SC is less safe. Just says that once you have ACC, auto braking and forward collision warning SC does not make the vehicle more or less safe. We live our SC. Have 11,000 miles in 5 months on our Lyriq and it makes it so much better to go long distances.
Super Cruise has gone over 160 million miles without an accident, as of February 2024 per GM. Hard to be much safer.
Airlines studied human reaction times and discovered that it takes up to 30 seconds for a pilot to go from “monitoring the aircraft” to actually “flying the aircraft”. A lot can happen in 30 seconds. This is why even with advanced driver assist systems you must continue to be more than a monitor participant but an active participant in the driving. Most people don’t get this.
I have these systems on my vehicle, whilst I believe they are a good, there are some concerns between when using cruise control and not using it as far as the safety features are involved, one of the major items I have noticed is sun blindness on these features, My ACC will cut out with sun blindness, the other is the vehicle ability to see vehicle lane changing in front of you, the acc in my vehicle doesn’t seem to acknowledge the vehicle changing lanes in front of you until the whole vehicle is in your lane to maintain the safe distance. Whilst I think is fair to say OEM’s still have technology advancement measures still challenging, we are seeing OEMs making progress to reducing human errors whilst driving or in control of the vehicle. However, i do agree human nature will tend to make you switch off in concentration whilst in control of the vehicle when you get too comfortable when using it or overusing it.