Danger from driver assistance systems: many consider them to be "autopilot"

Created: 10/13/2022, 4:30 p.m

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

The fully autonomous car does not yet exist - but according to a study, many people confuse driver assistance systems with "autopilot".

When the Tesla brand is discussed, the term “autopilot” is likely to come up quickly.

The system is highly controversial because accidents occur again and again in connection with it.

The biggest problem is probably the name.

Because this promises something that technology cannot deliver: It is a driver assistance system – not a car that drives autonomously at the push of a button.

That's exactly why the carmaker was recently sued for misleading advertising.

In any case, many people trust the vehicle more than it can - but apparently not only Tesla has this problem, as a study now shows.

Danger from driver assistance systems: many consider them to be "autopilot"

There is still a long way to go to a fully autonomous car without a steering wheel and pedals (level 5) - only Mercedes currently has the official approval to drive at least at level 3.

Everyone else gets to level 2 at most. Using lane keeping systems and technologies that automatically keep the distance to the vehicle in front, many vehicles can already drive for a short time, so to speak, by themselves.

However, the car must be constantly monitored, the driver bears the responsibility.

And this is where the problem lies: As the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has now found out, drivers of vehicles with corresponding semi-autonomous technology pay less attention to traffic because, for example, they eat behind the wheel or write short messages on their smartphones.

Many drivers mistake semi-autonomous systems in vehicles for “autopilots”.

(Iconic image) © Westend61/Imago

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Danger from driver assistance systems: a marketing problem?

Despite numerous warnings and many reports of accidents, many motorists would treat their semi-autonomous vehicle like a fully autonomous one, reports the IIHS.

Obviously, many do not understand the differences between them - another study came to a similar conclusion just recently.

"The overall message here is that early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the limitations of the technology," said IIHS President David Harkey.

"It's possible that system design and marketing contribute to these misconceptions."

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Danger from driver assistance systems - according to the IIHS, they are often wrong

For their study, the researchers surveyed around 600 owners of Cadillac, Nissan/Infinity and Tesla vehicles who regularly use the semi-automated functions of their vehicle.

According to IIHS, these brands' systems reflect the design variety of techniques on the market.

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The IIHS emphasizes that none of the current systems are designed to replace a human driver or make it safe for a driver to engage in other activities that take their focus off the road.

Track testing and real-world crashes would have provided ample evidence that today's semi-automation systems struggle to recognize and respond to many common driving situations and road features.