More than a dozen automakers may use their advanced driver-aid systems to help with steering, braking, and speeding up on certain roads as long as certain conditions are met. Some of these systems have extra features that monitor the driver to ensure they don’t fall asleep or take a nap while ADAS is running. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that only Lexus’s method for monitoring the driver works. The IIHS examined fourteen monitoring systems from nine different companies. Only the Lexus Teammate system, which was tried on the Lexus LS, got a score of “Acceptable.” Eleven received bad reviews, and two received scores that were just okay. “We looked at partially automated systems from BMW, Ford, General Motors, Genesis, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla, and Volvo,” stated David Harkey, executive president of the International Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). A lot of them don’t have enough controls to stop abuse and keep drivers’ eyes on the road. The problems were different in each scheme. Some didn’t warn distracted drivers at all, some didn’t send enough signs, and some couldn’t tell when a driver wasn’t paying attention to the road. Some even let the driver take off their belt while the ADAS is on. The IIHS says that drivers must take extra steps to avoid accidents when they ignore these kinds of distraction signs while using ADAS. For example, cars should slow down if the driver doesn’t pay attention for 35 seconds or more. The system should alert emergency workers, and the ADAS should be turned on only if the slowing down process is followed. People think that drivers who ignore warnings a lot are either hurt, in trouble, or abusing the system. However, out of all 14 systems, only GM’s Super Cruise used all five of the IIHS’s suggested steps. When ADAS is used, drivers should also pay more attention. For instance, Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot will change lanes automatically, but the IIHS says that the driver must start all lane changes. Also, only those two systems stop lane-centering when the driver moves or presses on the steering wheel. The IIHS says that this feature might make drivers less likely to change the system by hand to keep it from shutting down. Keep in mind that “there is little evidence that partial automation makes driving safer, but some drivers may feel that it makes long drives easier.” Systems without the right protections can bring extra risks, as many well-known crashes have shown. Lexus’ Teammate system not only has the cutest name (these systems are coworkers, not autopilots), but it also works the best overall. It could be better at everything, but it’s also not the worst. One good thing about Harkey is that all of these systems can be fixed with easy software updates, even though each one is usually bad and has its own set of pros. However, up until now, only Lexus has kept a close eye on its drivers.
