New automotive engineering research from AAA found that over the course of 4,000 miles of real-world driving, vehicles equipped with active driving assistance systems experienced some type of issue every 8 miles, on average.
Researchers noted instances of trouble with the systems keeping the vehicles tested in their lane and coming too close to other vehicles or guardrails. AAA also found that active driving assistance systems often disengage with little notice—almost instantly handing control back to the driver.
AAA is recommending manufacturers increase the scope of testing for active driving assistance systems and limit their rollout until functionality is improved to provide a more consistent and safer driver experience.
According to AAA, active driving assistance, classified as Level 2 driving automation by the SAE International, are advanced driver assistance systems that provide the highest level of automated vehicle technology available to the public today.
“AAA has repeatedly found that active driving assistance systems do not perform consistently, especially in real-word scenarios,” Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering and industry relations, said in a statement. “Manufacturers need to work toward more dependable technology, including improving lane keeping assistance and providing more adequate alerts.”
AAA tested the functionality of active driving assistance systems in real-world conditions and in a closed-course setting to determine how well they responded to common driving scenarios. On public roadways, nearly three-quarters (73%) of errors involved instances of lane departure or erratic lane position. While AAA’s closed-course testing found that the systems performed mostly as expected, they were particularly challenged when approaching a simulated disabled vehicle. When encountering this test scenario, in aggregate, a collision occurred 66% of the time and the average impact speed was 25 mph, according to AAA.
AAA’s 2020 automated vehicle survey found that only one in 10 drivers (12%) would trust riding in a self-driving car. AAA says it has met with industry leaders to provide insight from the testing experience and recommendations for improvement.
---------
SOURCE: AAA
