self-driving cars

Published on: October 17, 2024

Drivers Prone to Misusing Accident Safeguards in Cars with Partial Automation

Motorists driving cars with partial automation soon learn to adapt to the various safeguards that are present in these systems, possibly increasing their car accident risks.

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers are very quick to learn ways to circumvent the limits or safeguards set by the partial automation systems in their cars. Vehicles with partial automation systems require motorists to continue to pay attention to the task of driving and step in when there needs to be an intervention. However, an analysis of several partial automation systems in automobiles show that this is not always the case.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety researchers focused on a number of partial automation systems, including Volvo’s Pilot Assist System and Tesla’s Auto Pilot system. In the Volvo system, the researchers found that drivers were often distracted by snacking and checking their phones while the system was at work. They were also likely to get more distracted as they became use to the system and as they learned to get around the limitations imposed by the system. Drivers using Tesla’s Auto Pilot found ways to get around the warning system before it escalated into a full blown intervention. They continued to engage in distracting behaviors only stepping in to take minimum actions to stop warnings or alerts issued by the system.

Published on: November 1, 2022

Complacent Motorists Driving Autonomous Cars may be at Risk of Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

In spite of the fact that so -called “autonomous” cars have been involved in several auto accidents, including fatal crashes, over the past few years, motorists driving these automobiles tend to be complacent and engage in distracting tasks at the wheel.

Many cars with self-driving automation, including Tesla, have recently been in the spotlight for the car accidents involving these automobiles. Some of these auto accidents have actually resulted in fatalities. Other cars with partial automation technology like Super Cruise Cadillac have also been involved in car accidents. However, knowledge about these accidents does not seem to stop the motorists who drive these cars from driving recklessly. A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that many motorists driving these cars continue to perform distracting activities, like snacking or texting while at the wheel of these partially autonomous vehicles.

These partially autonomous systems involve two main types of systems that are geared at preventing accidents. One is adaptive cruise control which helps control and set the pace at which the vehicle travels, and the other is lane departure technology which keeps the car in its lane. These technologies are very effective in helping prevent car accidents, but under no circumstances are they fully autonomous technologies that can replace humans.

Published on: September 9, 2022

Driver Assistance Technologies Linked to 400 Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reporting on close to 400 auto accidents involving cars equipped with driver assistance technologies.

Driver assistance technology is often touted as the way forward for motorist safety, and collecting data on any crashes involving these self-driving cars can be a means to help identify and prevent the kind of car accidents that result in serious injuries and wrongful deaths. As we move towards a world in which most vehicles on the road will be driverless or autonomous cars, it is important to track and identify data about auto accidents involving these cars.

In the first large -scale report of its kind released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency has confirmed that it has received data on close to 400 auto accidents involving driver assistance. A total of 392 car accidents involving self-driving cars have been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Out of these, 273 involved Tesla’s Autopilot feature. Tesla was by far the most featured car in the accident data, but these car crashes also included vehicles with driver assistance technology from other automakers, including Honda, Toyota, BMW and General Motors. Honda cars were involved in 90 of the accidents, while Subaru vehicles were involved in approximately ten of the accidents that were reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Published on: September 7, 2022

Women are Not Big Believers in the Safety of Driverless Cars

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Women remain skeptical about the safety of driverless autonomous cars. A new study finds that while men are much more likely to be impressed by the car accident prevention features of autonomous auto technology, women are much more hesitant about adopting these vehicles. Many women believe there is an increased risk of auto accidents with these types of vehicles.

According to a new study conducted by Pew Research Centre, women on the whole are far more skeptical about the benefits of driverless cars as compared to men. Several studies have pointed to the benefits of such driverless technology on our roads, including the reduced risk of auto accidents. As these vehicles become more popular and as the possibility of sharing roads with more and more driverless cars becomes more of a reality and less a distant vision for the future, it becomes important to also understand why such a large section of the population remains skeptical about their safety.

According to the Pew Research Center study, as many as half of all men believe that driving an autonomous car can reduce the risk of being fatally injured in an auto accident. However, when it came to women, only 1 in 3 women shared that view. Men are enthusiastic evangelists for the autonomous car with 37% of them strongly believing that driverless car technology is good for society while only 17% of women seemed to believe so. When asked whether they would feel comfortable sharing the roads with driverless cars once these become more popular on the roads, more than half of the women or 54% of them admitted that they would not feel safe with these cars on the road, while 35% of men admitted to feeling unsafe sharing the roads with driverless cars. Close to half or 46% of the men said that they would be perfectly comfortable being a passenger in an autonomous car, but women were very hesitant to ride in a self-driving car, with over half of them admitting that they would not be fine travelling as a passenger in a self-driving car. When it comes to driverless trucks, however, the views of men and women are more aligned. Fifty-three (53%) of the men and 66% of the women admitted that they were not comfortable with having driverless trucks on our roads.