Page 28 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2018

Drivers Rely Too Heavily on
New Vehicle Safety Technologies
Misunderstanding and misuse of driver assistance technologies could lead to crashes
Many drivers are unaware of the safety limitations of advanced driver assistance systems, which are rapidly being offered as standard on new vehicles, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Lack of understanding and confusion about these technologies can lead to misuse and overreliance on the systems, which could result in deadly crashes.
In 2016, 37,400 people died from traffic crashes on U.S. roads – a five percent increase from 2015. Ohio’s traffic fatalities also are on the rise. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol statistics, 1,179 people died in traffic crashes on Ohio’s roads in 2017 – a 16 percent increase from 2013.
The AAA Foundation found that if installed on all vehicles, ADAS technologies can potentially prevent more than 2.7 million crashes, 1.1 million injuries and nearly 9,500 deaths each year.
“When properly utilized, ADAS technologies have the potential to prevent 40 percent of all vehicle crashes and nearly 30 percent of traffic deaths,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “However, driver understanding and proper use are crucial in reaping the full safety benefits of these systems.”
Driver Interaction Study
To better understand driver interaction with ADAS technologies, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety commissioned researchers from the University of Iowa
to survey drivers who recently purchased a 2016 or 2017 model-year vehicle with ADAS technologies. Researchers evaluated drivers’ options, awareness and understanding of these technologies and found that most did not know or understand the limitations of the systems.
Blind spot monitoring: 80 percent of drivers did not know the technology’s limitations or incorrectly believed the systems could monitor the roadway behind the vehicle or reliably detect bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles passing at high speeds. In reality, the technology can only detect when a vehicle is traveling in a driver’s blind spot, and many don’t reliably detect pedestrians
or cyclists.
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency breaking: Nearly 40 percent of drivers did not know the systems’ limitations, or confused the two technologies – incorrectly reporting that forward collision warning could apply the brakes in the event of an emergency when the technology is only designed to deliver a warning signal.
False expectations for ADAS systems can easily lead to misuse of the technology or an increase in driver distraction. In the survey:
• About 25 percent of drivers using blind spot monitoring
or rear, cross-traffic alert systems report feeling comfort- able relying solely on the systems, and not performing visual checks for oncoming traffic or pedestrians.
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