IIHS Study on Automation and Driver Behavior
Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that as drivers gain more trust in their vehicle’s automated systems, they have a tendency to fidget more and to remove both hands from the steering wheel more frequently, both signs of driver disengagement.
Over the course of a month, IIHS studied driving behavior in 20 volunteers in Massachusetts. During that month, the drivers were increasing their familiarity with the driver-assisting features, and the researchers examined how often the volunteers took their hands off of the steering wheel or diverted their attention from the road to do other things such as adjust controls or use their mobile phone.
Two Levels of Automation Studied
Half of the volunteers were using the Evoque model Land Rover by Range Rover, which was equipped with adaptive cruise control, also known as ACC. ACC keeps the vehicle moving at a speed chosen by the vehicle operator, and maintains an established following distance. The Evoque is a Level One system, meaning it assists the vehicle operator with one driving task. Drivers in the other half were operating a Volvo S90, which was equipped with ACC and Pilot Assist – an automated system that meshes ACC with technology that keeps the vehicle centered within its travel lane. The S90 is a Level Two system, helping the vehicle operator with two driving tasks, and is the top tier of automation currently available in vehicles.
At the beginning of the month, there was little to no difference in driver behavior between the two groups, and no real difference between when they were using the driver-assistance systems or driving manually. By the end of the month, the studied drivers were significantly more prone to have their attention drift or remove their hands from the wheel when they were using the automated features. It was noted that the behavior was increased for those drivers with the Volvo and its Level 2 system. The researchers determined that drivers were two times more likely to exhibit indications of distraction after four weeks of using Volvo’s Pilot Assist than they were at the start of the experiment. When compared to driving without assistive features, they were 12 times more likely to remove their hands from the steering wheel once they had become comfortable with the centering technology.
Automation Not Meant to Replace the Driver
Other vehicles have systems similar to Volvo’s Pilot Assist, including Mercedes-Benz’s Intelligent Drive, Cadillac’s Super Cruise, and Tesla’s Autopilot. These systems have issues with negotiating many road features, so they still require the driver to be in control at all times – they are certainly not intended to take the place of the driver. However, with the system managing speed and steering, it is easier for the operator to be lulled into a false sense of security and lose focus.
These findings are problematic since a number of collisions involving partial vehicle automation have shown how dangerous it can be to place too much trust in the technology. In every fatal crash involving partial automation, driver disengagement has been identified as a major causative factor.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below features a psychologist and his study of driver distraction.
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Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/robot-vehicle-2676510/
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