Written by / Ma Xiaolei
Edited / Tu Yanping
Design / Shi Yuchao
Source / Car and Driver, by SEBASTIAN BLANCO
There are currently no self-driving cars on the market, just some with L2+ level autonomous driving or known as partially autonomous driving systems. But that doesn't stop automakers from blowing their self-driving capabilities into the air.
In 2022, the Highway Safety Insurance Association (IIHS) began rating the driver monitoring level of these parts of the autonomous driving system and ranking them according to four levels: excellent, good, medium and poor. No manufacturer's system has scored high.
These systems each have their own names, such as Autopilot, Pilot Assist and Super Cruise. But no matter how fancy the names of these systems are, IIHS needs to figure out how safe they really are, especially in reducing the system's non-standard use.
IIHS's move is because even if the car has some autonomous driving functions, which can realize functions such as automatic lane change and automatic follow-up, the driver still needs to devote himself to driving. Disappointingly, automakers' safety promises about some self-driving systems have not been fulfilled.
For example, in 2020, a 2013-2017 BMW study by the IIHS's Institute for Highway Damage Data found that front-end collision sensors and the new adaptive cruise control did reduce property damage and personal injury caused by accidents, but as part of the company's partial self-driving suite, the new lane centering feature did not play much of a role.
When Testing Driver Assistance features in 2021, Cars & Driver magazine found that they all have more or less problems in identifying driver focus.
IIHS Chairman David Harkey said in a statement: "Some self-driving systems do play a role in long-distance travel, making drivers less tired. But there is no evidence that they make driving safer. In fact, if the system lacks adequate safeguards, it will reduce the safety of the vehicle. ”
To be "superior", driver assistance systems must be able to track the driver's line of sight and need to ensure that the driver's hand is holding the steering wheel and keeping an eye on the road throughout the driving process. IIHS also requires vehicles to provide progressive, multi-layered alerts and to take appropriate emergency measures when drivers are distracted.
IIHS said that different warnings are better than a single warning, such as alarm sounds, vibration, brakes or tightening the driver's seat belt, and if the driver ignores the warning, the autopilot function should remain off for a later trip until the vehicle turns off and restarts.
IIHS doesn't expect automakers to have their systems "excellent" when they first rank them. The group wrote in a statement: "While most partial autonomous driving systems have some safeguards in place to ensure drivers are focused and ready to drive, none of them meet all IIHS standards." ”
"This is a necessary initiative. There are currently no fully autonomous vehicles on sale in the U.S., and some automakers have hyped up their systems beyond what they actually can. "This can lead drivers to mistake these vehicles for autonomous vehicles." So much so that when driving at high speed on the highway, the driver uses his mobile phone to watch videos or play games, or even take a nap. In a fatal crash on a Tesla Model X in 2018, the driver was likely to play a game while driving. ”
This article was originally produced by Automotive Business Review
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