Page 30 - The Magazine of AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2020

Eyes on the Road
Drivers Attentive When Operating Active-Driving Assistance at First
New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that when drivers initially use active-driving assistance – like Tesla’s Autopilot and Cadillac’s Super Cruise – they actually pay more attention, not less attention, to the overall driving task. AAA is encouraged by the research findings and urges drivers to learn the benefits and limitations of active-driving assistance at the time of vehicle purchase. This will help underscore the importance of remaining actively engaged when behind the wheel to maximize safety and encourage drivers not to become complacent over time as they use the system.
When in use, active-driving assistance takes control of the vehicle’s acceleration, braking and steering, but the driver must be engaged and ready to take back control at any moment. While most participants in the study expressed a willingness to use active-driving assistance,
Photo: Shutterstock/ TierneyMJ
more than 80% said they did not feel comfortable using it without monitoring the vehicle closely. More than half were uncomfortable relinquishing control of the vehicle to the technology when in heavy traffic (54%) or on curvy and hilly roads (65%).
“Data from the University of Utah study suggests that drivers new to active-driving assistance were more attentive to the driving environment, which is the driving behavior we want to see,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The AAA Foundation has and will continue
to invest in research to better understand how trust, acceptance and driving behavior will change over time with vehicle technology.”
This latest study’s findings are consistent with Foundation research released in December 2019
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