In This Story
New data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) confirms that most drivers are likely to multitask and get distracted if their vehicles are equipped with partial automation software.
The IIHS and Massachusetts Institute of Technology studied how drivers with cars that have the technology behaved after it was enabled, specifically researching Volvo (GELYF-0.55%) and Tesla (TSLA-2.21%) owners. Although these systems are designed to keep vehicles moving and allow drivers to somewhat relax, they still require you to keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Drivers who deployed Volvo’s Pilot Assist, which is designed to keep cars at a consistent speed and within a lane, were “much more likely” to check their phones, eat food, or multitask, according to the monthlong study. As drivers became more comfortable with the tech, some participants grew more willing to multitask. Drivers were distracted more than 30% of the time they used Pilot Assist, the IIHS found.
The researchers also tested the driving habits of 14 people who had never used Tesla’s Autopilot, which has lane-assist and cruise control features, over the course of a month behind the wheel of a 2020 Model S. At the time of the study, Autopilot relied on a torque sensor in the steering wheel to detect if a driver was paying attention. If it failed to detect their hands, it would issue a reminder on the central display and a flashing light, before escalating alarms and alerts as needed.
The volunteers drove more than 12,000 miles with Autopilot and triggered 3,858 warnings in the process, the IIHS said. Roughly half of the alerts took place when at least one hand was on the steering wheel but did not provide enough motion to placate the sensor. Sixteen of the alerts escalated to the point that a driver was locked out of the system.
The study showed that drivers are able to adapt to placate warning systems, even if they don’t change their behavior. Between the first and fourth week of the study, initial reminders grew 26% — signaling that drivers weren’t attentive enough for Tesla’s systems — while the rate of escalations fell by 64%. The IIHS noted that the longer drivers used Autopilot, the less time it took for them to take their hands of the wheel after the alerts stopped.
“These results are a good reminder of the way people learn,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement. “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.”
Both Volvo and Tesla’s systems received a “poor” safety rating” from the IIHS in March, when the nonprofit released the outcomes of its driver assistance software testing. Just three systems had been gotten higher scores: Lexus (TM+1.12%) Teammate with Advanced Drive scored an “acceptable,” while General Motors (GM-0.37%)’ Super Cruise and Nissan’s (NSANY+0.38%) ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link scored “marginal” ratings.
Although most automakers advertise their driver assistance software packages as a convenient tool to make driving less of a chore, abuse is known to be common.
One of the most high-profile cases of this was the 2018 death of 38-year-old Apple engineer Walter Huang, who was behind the wheel of his Model X when it crashed on a California highway with Autopilot engaged. In 2020, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Huang was likely distracted and had been playing a game on his phone at the time of the crash. The board also criticized Tesla at the time for ignoring safety recommendations. A lawsuit filed against Tesla by Huang’s family was settled in April.