Advanced driver assistance systems in cars: Are they absolutely safe?

Advanced Driver-assistance System (ADAS) is a set of active safety systems equipped on vehicles, most of which operate automatically, to warn, prevent and minimize the possibility of collisions when the vehicle is moving on the road.

Previously, ADAS was only found on expensive luxury cars, but today, ADAS has become more popular, especially in the development trend of electric vehicles.

Advanced driving assistance systems: Convenient but cannot replace humans

ADAS systems are often presented as a convenient tool that helps drivers navigate crowded roads more safely and with less stress. However, a new study by AAA, released on August 21, suggests that trust in the technology is still in question.

AAA automotive engineers tested five ADAS-equipped vehicles. The goal was to verify their handling in real-world traffic situations. The results were alarming: on average, every nine minutes, the ADAS system encountered a “noticeable event,” such as a sudden cut-off or an incorrect lane-keeping situation, that it could not fully handle, forcing the driver to intervene.

In test scenarios, there are 2 most common mistakes:

- Vehicle cuts in front of the car: 90% of situations require driver intervention.

- Poor lane keeping: the sensor and camera systems sometimes lose focus, causing the car to deviate from the lane.

“Most of today’s advanced driver assistance technologies are really just smarter versions of cruise control and lane-keeping assist. They’re called ‘assist’ and not ‘autonomous’ because the goal is to assist the driver, not replace him,” said Antuan Goodwin, CNET’s senior reporter for electric and self-driving cars.

Data from AAA also shows that ADAS users need to intervene three times more often than drivers using systems that do not require intervention. While in other modes, the average driver needs to intervene every 15.3 minutes, with ADAS, that number drops to just nine minutes.

“Even the most advanced systems like GM’s Super Cruise, Ford Blue Cruise, Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot or Tesla’s FSD cannot and should not operate without the driver’s attention,” Goodwin stressed.

Greg Brannon, AAA's director of automotive engineering research, also recommends: "ADAS systems can help in certain situations, but they cannot replace attentive driving. Drivers still need to be alert, especially in crowded traffic."

The problem is not just the technology, but also the marketing. Tesla is a typical example, constantly criticized for naming “Autopilot” or “Full Self-Driving” - which can easily mislead customers into thinking that this is an absolutely automatic system.

In fact, Tesla is currently facing multiple lawsuits, including false advertising allegations in California, and earlier this month was ordered to pay $243 million in damages for a fatal crash involving its Autopilot software.

From all the data above, it can be concluded that ADAS is not yet capable of replacing humans. Drivers still need to be in control and ready to intervene at any time. In other words, technology can assist, but safety is ultimately in your hands./.