Most electronic systems that take on some driving tasks for humans do not adequately monitor drivers’ attention, issue clear enough warnings or do other things to force drivers to behave, according to an insurance industry study released Tuesday.
Only one of 14 partially automated systems tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performed well enough to earn an overall rating of “Acceptable.” Two others were rated “marginal” and the rest rated “poor.” No system received the top rating of “good.”
“Most of them do not include adequate measures to prevent misuse and keep drivers from losing focus on what’s happening on the road,” said IIHS President David Harkey.
The institute developed the new ratings to force automakers to meet standards, including how closely they monitor drivers and how quickly cars issue warnings if drivers are not paying attention, Harkey said.
It also says it is trying to fill a “regulatory vacuum” left by inaction within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s systems. Harkey said the agency needs to do more to set standards for systems that can’t drive vehicles themselves.
The agency said Tuesday it welcomes the IIHS study and will review the report.
IIHS safety ratings are closely monitored by automakers, who often make changes to comply with them.
The 14 systems, which include several variations from individual automakers, are among the most complex on the market, Harkey said.
Only one of the systems—Teammate in the Lexus LS—received a decent rating. General Motors’ Super Cruise in the GMC Sierra and Nissan’s Pro-Pilot Assist with Navi-Link in the Ariya EV were rated as minor.
Other systems from Nissan, Tesla, BMW, Ford, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo were rated as poor.
Harkey said driving systems were originally a combination of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane centering and blind spot detection. But now they give drivers the ability to ignore them for periods of time, increasing safety risks, he said in an interview.
“That’s why the focus is on how to keep the driver focused on the driving task,” Harkey said.
Some automakers, he said, market their systems to make drivers think they are fully autonomous. “The one thing we don’t want is for drivers to misinterpret what these things can or can’t do,” he said.
The systems must be able to see whether the driver’s head or eyes are focused on the road, and whether their hands are on the steering wheel or ready to grab it if necessary, IIHS said.
The institute also said that if the system does not see the driver’s eyes on the road or the hands are not ready to control the car, audio and visual alerts should occur within 10 seconds. Before 20 seconds have elapsed, the system must add a third warning or initiate an emergency procedure to slow the vehicle, according to the institute.
Automakers must also ensure that safety systems such as seat belts and automatic emergency braking are activated before driving systems can be used, it said.
None of the 14 systems met all the driver monitoring requirements in the test, but Ford’s system came close, the group said.
Lexus’ Teammate system and GM’s Super Cruise met the warning requirements, while Nissan and Tesla’s systems came close.
Harkey said automakers are already responding to the tests and preparing changes, many of which could be implemented through software updates.
Toyota, which makes Lexus cars, said it considers IIHS ratings when setting safety standards, while GM has said IIHS ratings are important. Nissan said it would work with the institute.
Mercedes said it was taking the findings seriously and relying on the system to interact with the driver, while luxury brand Hyundai Genesis said it was rapidly improving its system, including adding an in-cabin camera. Volvo said it supports IIHS efforts to reduce abuse of driver assistance systems.
BMW said it respects the IIHS’s efforts but is philosophical about how the systems should monitor drivers. One of BMW’s systems rated by the IIHS is not designed to require drivers to take their hands off the wheel and only takes input from the steering wheel sensors. BMW’s tests found no clear benefit from turning on the driver’s camera, the company said. Another, more sophisticated system, designed to allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel, uses a camera to monitor drivers, the company says.
Ford said its Blue Cruise system monitors drivers and sends repeated warnings. The company said it disagreed with the IIHS’s findings but would take its feedback into account in its updates.