‘Autonomous’ driving assist tech causes dangerous confusion

Thatcham’s testing (below) also revealed that cars supposedly using the same features were inconsistent in their responses, with one not responding at all. Euro NCAP has announced that it will be grading the technology by 2020 as part of its overall safety rating for new cars.

Q&A with Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham

What is your main concern about today’s driver assist systems?

"If they’re used properly none of them are a big concern. If you don’t over-rely on any of them there isn’t a serious concern. But people can look at the way it's marketed, the way it’s sold, and can look at what it appears to communicate to the driver. All of that can convince the driver the system is more capable than it actually is. We think the BMW and the Nissan don’t support the driver enough, and can lead the driver into questioning is it working? And what’s the point?

The Tesla appears to do a lot more than it should do - it’s very competent, it’s a very good system. However, it probably does too much for the driver - it doesn’t want the driver to interact with it. During the pothole test, the Tesla resists you, so you end up fighting the steering until it eventually lets go - it leads the driver into thinking it's more capable than it actually is."

Should manufacturers be doing more to educate buyers about these systems?

"Manufacturers are beginning to move the right way - but we don’t like terminology such as 'autopilot', and we want a system that is very clear and cooperates with the driver. We want to keep a clear blue line between ‘assisted’ and 'automated'.

"Tesla’s over-the-air updates are very good - since we’ve started testing the system the performance seems to be getting better. These systems make driving safer than it’s ever been - but don’t think they’re going to do the driving for you. That message isn’t getting through."

Does the performance of these systems vary in different weather conditions?

"AEB systems are dependent on the weather - these systems are very robust. There will be system degradation in bad weather - but it’s not horrendous. One thing that we do find is that some of the sensors can be blocked, sometimes, well before the driver gets a warning. The driver doesn’t always get the feedback they should that the system is not working."

The Thatcham driver assist test

The tests developed so far will form the basis for the tests that will be introduced into the Euro NCAP rating system in 2020. They will include a ‘desk-based’ rating, where the team judges how manufacturers are selling drive assist systems to consumers. Practical testing includes a rating of how well these systems are able to read white lines on the road, and how they can take on board information given on motorway gantries, such as speed limits or hazard warnings.  At the test track, researchers have devised three tests. The first is a pothole test, where the car’s ‘lane keep’ steering assist is activated and the driver has to attempt to steer around a pothole in the road before hitting it. The second is an S-bend test, where the team sees how long the system can maintain steering assistance through a series of bends with and without white lines on the road, and with no hands on the wheel. The final test looks at the automatic emergency braking systems, seeing if the cars stop behind a stationary vehicle at more than 40mph. The highlights from Thatcham and Euro NCAP's findings on the key models are below, and you can read more at this link:

Audi A6:

"Adaptive Cruise Assist on the Audi A6 gives the driver a moderate level of support while maintaining the impression of the driver being in control with the car assisting them. The name “Adaptive Cruise Assist” clearly indicates that the system is a driver-assist system, not an autonomous one, and is not readily misunderstood. Overall, the Audi system is balanced with little risk of driver over-reliance on the system."

DS7 Crossback

"Connected Pilot on the DS 7 Crossback gives the driver a low level of support, therefore maintaining the impression of the driver being in control with the car assisting them. The name 'Connected Pilot' does not clearly indicate that the system is a driver-assist system, and could be easily misunderstood. The limited scenarios tested show that the system is only assisting In the longitudinal scenarios; the DS 7 Crossback shows a moderate level of support in the slower-moving and braking car scenarios. When approaching a stationary car, and in the ‘cut-in’ and ‘cut-out’ scenarios, the system offers no support at all. Overall, the DS system needs the driver to be primarily in control with little risk of the driver becoming over-reliant on the system."

Ford Focus

"Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop&Go, Lane-Centring and Speed Sign Recognition as part of Co-Pilot360 on the Ford Focus gives the driver a high level of support while maintaining the impression of the driver being in control with the car assisting them. The name 'Co-Pilot360' indicates that the system is a driver-assist system, not an autonomous one, and is not readily misunderstood. Overall, the Ford system is balanced with little risk of driver over-reliance on the system."

Mercedes C-Class: 

"Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with Active Steering Assist on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class gives the driver a high level of support while maintaining the impression of the driver being in control with the car assisting them. Active Steering Assist provides subtle steering support resulting in a good balance between the driver and the system in the S-bend scenario. In the absence of lane markings or other vehicles to act as a guide, Active Steering Assist will change to a passive modeand will resume assistance when clear lane markings are detected."Overall, the Mercedes-Benz system is balanced with little risk of driver over-reliance on the system.

"Pothole test: The steering assist lets the driver steer around the pothole and maintains assistance once they have done so."

Nissan Leaf: 

"ProPILOT on the Nissan LEAF gives the driver a moderate level of support while maintaining the impression of the driver being in control with the car assisting them. ProPILOT provides subtle steering support resulting in a good balance between the driver and the system in the S-bend scenario. In the absence of lane markings or other vehicles to acts as a guide, ProPILOT will change to a passive mode and will resume assistance when clear lane markings are detected. The name “ProPILOT” does not clearly indicate that the system is a driver-assist system and could be misunderstood. The limited scenarios tested show that the system provides assistance only.

"Rear end shunt test: The car did not sense the stopped car at all and drove into it without braking (above)."

Nissan has released this statement on the results. “This was a media demonstration event conducted by Thatcham and not an official test. They have not shared their findings or given us access to the vehicle tested, so we are not able to verify the result. We are very disappointed at this approach and will be actively pursuing this matter with them.

“Official safety system testing carried out by EuroNCAP concluded that the driver assistance technologies on LEAF performed as designed in a variety of scenarios. The LEAF also has a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP.”

On ProPilot, it said: “Whilst ProPilot technology assists the driver it is not a self-driving system and it is the driver’s responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and retain control of the vehicle at all times.

“This is made clear at all stages of the purchase process and we encourage customers to refer to the owner’s manual in case of doubt, where it is very clear how this system should be operated.”

Tesla Model S:

"‘Autopilot’ on the Tesla Model S gives the driver a high level of support with the vehicle primarily in control in both braking and steering scenarios. The name 'Autopilot' implies a fully automated system where the driver is not required. However, the limited scenarios tested clearly indicate that is not the case, nor is such a system legally allowed. Overall, the Tesla system is primarily in control with a risk of driver becoming over-reliant on the system."

"Pothole test: the car’s steering wheel fights against the driver while you try to drive around a pothole and then deactivates, providing no assistance. This encourages the driver to let the car be in control, which is potentially dangerous.

"S-Bend test: The car steers itself around the bends where there are white lines but stops doing so when the white lines end. At a motorway slip road it doesn’t recognise the road situation and drives the car onto the hard shoulder, assuming it is the left-hand lane."Rear-end shunt: The car senses the stationary vehicle well in advance and applies the brakes early, gently decelerating to a stop."