Recent studies on driver assist technologies revealed results that are perhaps unsurprising. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) determined that drivers quickly learn how to bend the rules and get around safeguards to pay less attention while driving a car with partially autonomous vehicle (AV) features like lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and attention warnings.
“These results are a good reminder of the way people learn,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “If you train them to think that paying attention means nudging the steering wheel every few seconds, then that’s exactly what they’ll do.”
These results come from two studies conducted by the IIHS and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) AgeLab. One used the Volvo Pilot Assist system in a 2017 Volvo S90. Pilot Assist is a partial AV system with adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist intended for highway use. It’s similar to the latest versions of safety tech suites like Chevy Safety Assist, Ford Co-Pilot360, and Toyota Safety Sense.
The study found that drivers were much more likely to look at their phones, eat, or do other “visual-manual activities” while using Volvo Pilot Assist. Some of the test subjects gradually got more comfortable multitasking as they got used to Pilot Assist. Other drivers became less alert right away. Throughout the study drivers were distracted for more than 30 percent of the time they spent driving.
The other IIHS-AgeLab used the controversial Tesla Autopilot system in a 2020 Tesla Model 3. Drivers quickly figured out tricks to fool the system into thinking the driver was keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times. They were able to time their inputs like touching the wheel at certain intervals to prevent escalating warnings from the car. In the 12,000 miles driven for the study, drivers triggered 3,858 attention-related warnings.
The IIHS urges automakers to put better safeguards on these partial AV systems. “In both these studies, drivers adapted their behavior to engage in distracting activities,” Harkey said. “This demonstrates why partial automation systems need more robust safeguards to prevent misuse.”
One system that these studies didn’t analyze was GM’s Super Cruise. Super Cruise is one of the few partial AV systems on the market today that’s truly hands-free, and it has the most North American miles mapped of any system of its kind. However, even Super Cruise requires drivers to remain alert while their hands are off the wheel. We know from experience that it’s diligent about scolding you if you take your eyes off the road for more than a couple of seconds.
If you’re a Super Cruise user, how to you pass the time while driving with no hands on the wheel or feet on the pedals? Let us know in the comments.
Comment
Told you!