Ratings Show Partial-Automated-Driving Weakness

Partial automated driving systems scored low in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s first ratings of the vehicle technology.

The nonprofit deemed acceptable just one system of 14 it tested for safety, the Lexus LS “Teammate” system. The GMC Sierra and the Nissan Ariya received marginal scores, and the rest – BMW, Ford, General Motors, Genesis, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla and Volvo got poor ratings. The LS and the Ariya also have alternative systems that earned poor ratings.

The majority of the systems can actually make driving riskier, the test report indicates.

“Most of them don’t include adequate measures to prevent misuse and keep drivers from losing focus on what’s happening on the road,” said institute President David Harkey in a press release on the test findings.

It aims to push for added safety measures to curb misuse, “prolonged attention lapses,” and design features that raise risk, including systems that are operable when seatbelts are unbuckled.

The group said ratings apply only to the specific models tested, though systems with the same names may be installed in the maker’s other models. It pointed out that the technology isn't “self-driving” as some of the systems' names imply but all are partially automated.

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

The systems employ cameras, radar or other technology to perceive routes and other vehicles on them, combining adaptive cruise control, lane centering and other assistance features, the institute said.

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