Page 7 - AAA Now! – AAA Northway – Spring 2022

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES
Face It: Only One Type of Driver Monitoring System Works, But It’s Not Foolproof
AAA research reveals steering wheel-based systems used by Tesla and others are Inferior
As vehicles become increasingly automated, automakers realize some technology may give drivers the false sense that the vehicle can drive itself. To counter this, driver-monitoring systems with either a camera- or steering-wheel detection are used to prevent the deadly consequences of a distracted driver. However, new real-world testing by AAA found systems using a driver-facing camera are best at keeping motorists focused on the road. Unfortunately, the technology is not foolproof and a driver determined to cheat the system can defeat it.
Active driving-assistance systems are widely available and often called semi-autonomous because they combine vehicle acceleration with braking and steering. Since its introduction, there have been numerous newsworthy instances of drivers misusing the systems by watching videos, working, sleeping or even climbing into the backseat. This behavior can go undetected by the vehicle and, in some cases, result in deadly crashes.
To prevent such activities, vehicles with this technology monitor drivers using either a camera- based system, which watches their face, or a system
that monitors steering wheel movements. AAA test drove four popular makes and models in real-world conditions on a California highway to evaluate these systems’ effectiveness.
Key research findings include the following:
• Camera-based systems alerted disengaged drivers 50 seconds sooner and were more persistent than those detecting steering wheel movement when the driver was looking down with head facing forward, hands off the wheel.
• Camera-based systems alerted disengaged drivers 51 seconds sooner compared to steering wheel movement when the driver was facing away from the road, looking at the center console, with hands off the wheel.
• On average, the percent of time test drivers were engaged was approximately five times greater
for camera-based systems than for steering wheel systems.
• Steering wheel monitoring required only minimal input to prevent system alerts, allowing up to
5.65 continuous minutes of distraction (at 65 mph, equivalent to more than 6 miles of disengaged driving). In comparison, camera-based systems
allowed 2.25 minutes of distraction during the 10-minute-long test drive.
• Even after issuing multiple warnings of inattentive driving, both systems failed to disable the semi- autonomous features and force the driver to take the wheel and pay attention.
AAA recommends that automakers opt for camera- based driver monitoring systems instead of steering wheel monitoring; however, more refinement is required to prevent driver distraction and misuse. Before releasing this report, AAA met with automakers to provide insight from the testing experience and specific recommendations for improvement.
Vehicles equipped with camera-based driver monitoring systems were significantly better at preventing each type of tested distraction scenario by issuing alerts faster and more persistently than a steering wheel system, no matter the external lighting conditions.
AAA continues to urge automakers to adopt an industry-standard naming convention for vehicle technology to prevent drivers from misunderstanding the capabilities of catchy, marketing-driven branded names for popular systems.
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