Most semi-automated vehicle systems fall short on safety, new test finds

Semi-automated driving systems that can help drive your car are not doing enough to ensure drivers are staying focused on the road, according to first-of-its-kind testing from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"They're not doing a good job," IIHS President David Harkey told CBS News. "It can be very dangerous. They are not self-driving vehicles. And so you see people who either intentionally, or unintentionally, misuse these systems and get themselves into trouble."

The new IIHS ratings assess how well the systems monitor the driver, issue alerts, encourage shared control with the driver and react when safety features are disengaged –like taking off a seatbelt.

Of the 14 systems tested, none earned a top rating. Just one system scored acceptable: the Lexus Teammate with Advanced Drive. Two others, the General Motors Super Cruise and the Nissan ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link, rated as marginal.

"The biggest things that need to change are improvements in monitoring — monitoring both the head, the eyes, as well as the hands, to make sure you're ready to take control of the vehicle," Harkey said.
 
The report comes as concerns over driver assistance systems grow among lawmakers. That prompted an exchange between National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts during a March 6 hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 

"It sounds like, to me, it's not ready for primetime?" Markey asked.

"If it's only designed to be operated in a certain type of environment, it should be limited to those environments," Homendy responded.

In a statement provided to CBS News, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers, said that the "automated driving systems include features like lane centering assistance technology and adaptive cruise control. These are features on many models today and help reduce roadway crash and injuries through automation and technology."

The statement continues: "There is some confusion and misunderstanding about automated driving technology. At its core, this technology is meant to support a human driver operating behind the wheel. It requires the human driver to be attentive and engaged. Not some of the time —but all of the time."

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Kris Van Cleave

Kris Van Cleave is CBS News' senior transportation and national correspondent based in Phoenix.

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