New Ratings For Partial Automation Systems Show Weakness On Safety

13.03.2024 - 16:11 / forbes.com / David Harkey

Only one of 14 partial driving automation systems tested in recent evaluations – the Teammate with Advanced Drive system available on the Lexus LS 2022-24 models – had acceptable safety measures designed to help reduce intentional misuse and prolonged attention lapses. All others – including a second system from Lexus – earned marginal or poor ratings.

Those are the highlights of the first round of results in the new ratings program announced on Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit financed by the insurance industry. The initial testing found that while most partial automation systems have some safeguards in place to help ensure drivers are focused, they are not robust enough and lack adequate regulation.

“We evaluated partial automation systems from BMW, Ford, General Motors, Genesis, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla and Volvo,” David Harkey, the Insurance Institute’s president, said in a statement. “Most of them don’t include adequate measures to prevent misuse and keep drivers from losing focus on what’s happening on the road.”

The industry, the safety group said, needs to make systems safer.

The new ratings, based on a series of road and track tests, were designed to encourage automakers to incorporate stronger protections into their partial driving automation systems to keep drivers engaged when they are behind the wheel and ensure that occupants and other road users aren’t put in danger.

Two systems available on the GMC Sierra and Nissan Ariya – earned marginal ratings, and 11 others scored poor ratings, in some cases for more than one version of partial automation.

The top rating in the Insurance Institute's assessments is good, followed by acceptable, marginal or poor. Each vehicle’s system received ratings for: overall performance; driver monitoring; attention reminders; emergency procedures; and several categories for driver involvement.

“Some drivers may feel that partial automation makes long drives easier, but there is little evidence it makes driving safer,” Harkey added. “As many high-profile crashes have illustrated, it can introduce new risks when systems lack the appropriate safeguards.”

Vehicles with partial automation are not self-driving, though automakers sometimes use names that imply their systems are, according to the safety group. “The human driver must still handle many routine driving tasks, monitor how well the automation is performing and remain ready to take over if anything goes wrong.”

Today’s partial automation technology uses cameras, radar or other sensors to “see” the road and other vehicles, combining adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane centering and various other driver assistance features.

Shortcomings vary from system to system,