Active Driving Assist Systems: A Growing Concern for Driver Engagement and Safety

As we continue to explore the world of advanced driver assistance systems, it's essential to understand what these systems are and how they work. In this article, we'll delve into the details of active driving assist systems, their benefits, and the concerns surrounding their impact on driver engagement and safety.

What are Active Driving Assist Systems?

Active driving assist systems are not semi-autonomous or self-driving vehicles, as some people may mistakenly believe. Instead, these systems use a combination of sensors and cameras to automate certain driving tasks, such as steering, following lane lines, and speed control. While the driver remains in control at all times, these systems can make driving easier and more stress-free, particularly on long highway drives or during stop-and-go traffic.

Benefits of Active Driving Assist Systems

Research has shown that consumers overwhelmingly like active driving assist systems. They can significantly reduce driver fatigue and increase comfort while driving. For example, on a long highway drive, the system can take over steering and speed control, allowing the driver to relax and enjoy the scenery. Similarly, in stop-and-go traffic, these systems can automate lane changes and speed adjustments, reducing stress and increasing overall safety.

However, there is a significant concern surrounding these systems: driver engagement and attention. While active driving assist systems are designed to make driving easier, they can also lull drivers into a false sense of security. If the driver becomes too relaxed or distracted, the system may not be able to detect potential hazards or unexpected events, such as road construction or broken-down vehicles.

Addressing Driver Engagement and Attention

To address this concern, both Consumer Reports and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are taking a closer look at active driving assist systems. They are evaluating these systems' ability to monitor driver attention and engagement, ensuring that the driver remains focused on the road and is prepared to take control of the vehicle when necessary.

For example, IIHS is conducting deep dives into direct driver monitoring systems, which use cameras and sensors to detect the driver's level of engagement. These systems can alert the driver if they become too distracted or complacent behind the wheel. Consumer Reports, on the other hand, is considering incorporating these ratings into its evaluation process, ensuring that vehicles with advanced active driving assist systems receive credit for their performance.

The Importance of Driver Monitoring Systems

Driver monitoring systems are a critical component of active driving assist systems. These systems use cameras and sensors to track the driver's level of engagement, providing real-time feedback to the vehicle's computer system. If the driver becomes too distracted or complacent, the system can slow down the vehicle or alert the driver to re-engage.

Fortunately, many active driving assist systems, such as those developed by General Motors (GM) and Ford, prioritize driver safety and do not record infrared information about passengers. These systems respect the driver's privacy, ensuring that sensitive data is only used for the purpose of monitoring their attention and engagement.

The Future of Active Driving Assist Systems

As these technologies continue to evolve, it's essential to recognize the importance of driver engagement and attention. While active driving assist systems can make driving easier and more comfortable, they must always be used in conjunction with human judgment and attention. By prioritizing safety and driver engagement, we can unlock the full potential of these advanced technologies.

In conclusion, active driving assist systems are a growing concern for driver engagement and safety. As we continue to develop and evaluate these technologies, it's essential to prioritize driver safety and attention. By doing so, we can create safer and more comfortable driving experiences for all road users.

The role of Consumer Reports and IIHS in evaluating active driving assist systems will be crucial in ensuring that these technologies meet the highest standards of safety and performance. As these organizations continue to evaluate and rate vehicles with advanced active driving assist systems, they will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of these technologies and help shape the future of automotive safety.

By staying informed about the latest developments in automotive safety and technology, drivers can make more informed decisions when choosing a vehicle that meets their needs and prioritizes driver engagement and attention. Whether you're an experienced driver or just starting to explore the world of advanced vehicles, understanding the benefits and concerns surrounding active driving assist systems is essential for creating safer and more comfortable driving experiences.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi and thanks for joining us for a bonus episode of talking cars i'm mike quincy i'm jake fisher so jake we have some news about the latest developments regarding active driving assist systems what can you tell us sure so what i can tell you is that next month when we announce our top picks we're actually making some changes to our scoring so we're actually going to be making some changes to the overall score of cars that have some of these active driving assist systems so before we get into that we kind of have to kind of have a refresher of what is an active driving assist system and these are very not understood systems um some people like to call them things like semi-autonomous or self-driving um well actually they're not really any of that they they don't drive themselves um what they are systems um you may have heard of you know things like you know tesla's autopilot or gm supercruise where they do some of the driving tasks although they're not driving you're still the driver the person is still paying attention person is still making sure you know making the decisions what these systems do is they automate some of those tasks like steering the wheel they actually will follow the lane lines on highways and some roads and also speed control so that's really what we're talking about now we have done a lot of research about these systems we've talked to a lot of consumers who are using these systems and the truth is that people like them they can make driving easier they can make it just really more stress free when you're using them when they're really designed to be used things like that long boring highway stop and go traffic you could really allow the car to do really automate some of that task as long as you're really paying attention making sure what's what's going on uh people like these systems the problem is that parts about paying attention and still being ready because you could use one of these systems you could be on a highway you could drive an hour and then all of a sudden there's something unexpected um there's road construction or there's a broken down vehicle you have to be alert you have to be ready uh to take over when things are unfamiliar really what we're talking about is we are looking to give some points to vehicles that have these systems as long as they as they do a good job of making sure people stay engaged um and they make sure the person is actually looking where they're going as long as they're driving right and and and with these you know driver monitoring systems there's a lot of data that's going to be collected now is there a concern about privacy well sure i mean you know when you think about it in order to see if someone is actually looking where they're going we're talking about cameras generally um fortunately we've done research and the systems that we will be giving credit to general motors with their supercrew system as well as ford with their blue crew system these systems do not record infrared information about you they're not sending information about you uh off board or back to the home office something like this they're respecting your privacy and that's our expectation with these systems that that's how they should be um operating the information that we're that that they're getting whether or not you're looking or not is just for you it's for you the driver and just letting know hey your your gaze has has gone off or something like that or you've gotten bored and you've picked up your phone and you're you're looking at it too long you need to to re-engage and if you're not doing that it'll slow down the vehicle as safe as possible or just alert you to get back back re-engaged now the insurance institute for highway safety has some news about these systems as well uh how is uh crs uh how is cr doing it differently great question um you know i almost want to start on you know kind of where we're the same and ihs and consumer reports are both seeing this the same way we use the terms over trust you know if these systems start really working well you almost over trust them and you know again i'm not talking about trying to trick the system out or doing something nefarious i'm just saying that when you kind of relax behind the wheel of something your your eyes might drift or your attention might drift ihs also sees this as a real concern and ihs what they're doing is kind of taking this deep dive and really looking at rating the direct driver monitoring systems these systems of checking to make sure that the driver is engaged now what we're doing is and we've been doing this for a while we've been rating how the systems operate in terms of steering you down the road in terms of the convenience of that but take into account that we want to make sure that that you're you're you're looking where you're going ihs is really complementing what we're doing but taking this deep dive into how these driver monitoring systems works and and it really works great that we're you know both organizations are really kind of driving in the same direction um with our hands on the wheel with our eyes on the road and with we're going to be looking and seeing what they find seeing how they rate these systems um and we may actually wind up using some of their ratings and saying well to get credit for your system you need to have an ihs ratings of something or rather their ratings aren't out yet but it'll be later this year um they'll be uh talking about that and and and rating vehicles reading those systems so really the takeaway here is that even with all these advances in automotive safety drivers still have to remain engaged they still have to actually drive yeah absolutely and you know this technology is is is great if the driver does what they're good at and the technology does what they're good at you put them all together and and um you know it's it's going to make driving easier potentially it could make it make it make it safer um and uh you know we'll see it as as the technology evolves i mean it makes make certainly doing my job very exciting you know i i don't i don't think it can be said any better than that and uh i'll just remind our audience to check back with consumerreports.org for all the latest developments on automotive safety and be sure to tune in to our regular talking cars podcast for all the latest happenings of the automotive industry and what's going on at our test track thanks so much for tuning in we'll see you next time you\n"