Drivers who are used to partial automation that switches off when they try to share control over the steering are less willing to steer or put their hands on the wheel in sticky situations, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has shown.
In contrast, drivers of vehicles with systems that allow some manual steering are more inclined to take an active role.
“These results suggest that small differences in system design can nudge drivers toward safer habits,” said IIHS President David Harkey.
Partial automation systems use cameras and other sensors to keep your car moving down the road in the center of the lane at a speed you select, braking to avoid other vehicles and accelerating again when the way is clear. They are unable to handle many common on-road scenarios, however, so drivers are supposed to pay close attention and be ready to take over at any time. Two recent IIHS studies showed they don’t always do so, despite driver monitoring and attention reminder features.
IIHS researchers said one way to help keep drivers engaged is by designing systems to allow what’s known as cooperative steering. Partial automation systems designed this way let the driver make minor adjustments within the travel lane without deactivating. Most drivers believe that’s the way their own system works, whether or not that’s the case, the new IIHS study shows. But those whose vehicles really do allow shared control are 40%-48% less likely than the others to say they would keep their hands off the wheel in situations that would make most drivers nervous.
“Those are sizable differences,” said Alexandra Mueller, a senior IIHS research scientist and the lead author of the study. “Although there could be many reasons, one plausible explanation is that systems that switch themselves off whenever the driver steers may make drivers less likely to want to intervene, as it’s a pain to reactivate the system again and again.”
Dr Mueller added: “These findings suggest that cooperative steering may have an implicit influence on how willing drivers are to take action when the situation calls for it, regardless of how they think their system is designed.”
