New research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that partial automation driving systems in cars don't improve safety.
Partial automation driving systems can keep a car in the lane, maintain or slow the speed, and avoid other cars. But they require an alert driver ready to take back control of the car.
Russ Rader is with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. His group's analysis of partial automation driving systems found no added safety benefit.
"Drivers need to recognize that these are convenience features," Rader said. "They're not self-driving and they're not safety features."
That's in contrast to automatic emergency braking, now a feature available in all new vehicles sold in the U.S. Research shows that technology does reduce rear-end collisions.
Rader said partial automation driving systems can also introduce new hazards.
"Drivers tend to zone out or do other things while the partial automation is activated, like use their phones, for example."
Rader said car companies need to be more clear about the limits of partial driving systems and also include technology that warns drivers if they are not paying attention.
IIHS has developed a rating system for partial driving systems that includes whether such warnings are standard.
