AAA Tests Vehicle Technology Designed to Keep Drivers Engaged
AAA press release:
As vehicles become increasingly automated, drivers may be tempted to become less engaged on the road. Automakers have designed two types of systems to keep drivers engaged, but how effective are they? AAA conducted new real world testing of these systems and determined which one is the best and why the technology still needs to be refined.
Advancement of Vehicle Technology
Active driving assistance systems are widely available and often called semi-autonomous because they combine vehicle acceleration with braking and steering. Since its introduction, there have been numerous newsworthy instances of drivers misusing the systems by watching videos, working, sleeping, or even climbing into the backseat. When this behavior goes undetected by the vehicle it can result in deadly crashes.
To counter this, vehicles are equipped with driver monitoring systems – which use either a camera-based system that watches the driver’s face, or one that tracks steering wheel movement. Both systems are designed to alert the driver when they become disengaged.
“Driver monitoring systems are a good first step to preventing deadly crashes, however they are not foolproof” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, AAA hopes this study will get the attention of automakers and consumers, to remind them that driving assistance technology has limitations, needs to be refined, and should not replace an engaged driver.”
Testing the Technology
AAA test drove four popular makes and models in real-world conditions on a California highway to evaluate these systems’ effectiveness. During this time, drivers conducted a series of simulated distractions.
Key Findings
AAA determined that systems using a driver-facing camera are best at keeping motorists focused on the road.
On average, the percent of time test drivers were forced to focus on driving was five times greater when facing a camera than with steering wheel input.
Camera-based systems issued alerts faster and more persistently than a steering wheel system, no matter the external lighting conditions.
Even after issuing multiple warnings of inattentive driving, both systems failed to disable the semi-autonomous features and force the driver to take the wheel and pay attention.
Both driver monitoring types were prone to being intentionally fooled, although, those using a camera were harder to trick.
AAA Recommendations:
Automakers should opt for camera-based driver monitoring systems over steering wheel monitoring.
The ADA system should disable after a defined period of driver monitoring alerts are issued.
Automakers should continually refine the monitoring system to prevent driver distraction and misuse.
Before releasing this report, AAA met with automakers to provide insight from the testing experience and specific recommendations for improvement.
AAA continues to urge automakers to adopt an industry standard naming convention , for vehicle technology to prevent drivers from misunderstanding the capabilities of catchy, marketing-driven branded names for popular systems.