Misuse of driver-assistance systems biggest risk to road safety, survey finds

MILAN/STOCKHOLM - Motorists’ misuse of driver-assistance technology and drivers being distracted by in-vehicle features, rather than mechanical problems, are the biggest risks for road safety, according to a survey of transport specialists.

The survey, published on July 15, reflects industry concerns about human error as some governments weigh tougher regulations for automated driving systems.

In the United States, concerns have grown over features offered by carmakers, including Ford’s BlueCruise system and Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, which is seeking approval for a Europe-wide rollout.

“We need to make sure that those systems are really explained to the end-user and proposed with a clear visibility of what they can do and what they cannot do,” said Ignacio Alvarez, R&D Chief at Italian brake maker Brembo, which financed the survey.

The survey, conducted by Economist Enterprise, a division of The Economist Group, covered over 1,000 transport specialists in policy, infrastructure, manufacturing and technology across car-producing countries France, Germany, Italy, Britain, China, India, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and the US.

“The real risk is the interface between humans and machines and increasingly automated systems,” said Economist Enterprise research leader Pratima Singh.

Thirty per cent of transport specialists surveyed cited human misunderstanding or misuse of driving assistance systems as the leading driver of mobility safety issues, while in a separate question on safety risks of user-vehicle interaction, 24 per cent pointed to increasingly distracting in-vehicle features.

Two-thirds of professionals believed advertising overstated these systems’ capabilities, “creating unrealistic expectations”, Singh said.

In China, regulators are considering tighter oversight of advanced driver-assistance systems following a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi vehicle.

In Europe, a Swedish transport authority is recommending a vote against the Europe-wide rollout of Tesla’s supervised self-driving software, unless the US electric-vehicle maker disables its ability to exceed legal speed limits, a letter shows.

A United Nations vehicle standards forum approved new rules for automated-driving systems last month.

The Economist Enterprise survey also polled over 5,000 road-users, 88 per cent of whom said they support tougher road-safety measures, suggesting backing for stricter regulation. REUTERS