Management assistance systems are designed to save lives, but they are far from perfect.
A new AAA study makes it very clear, as it found, over the course of 6,437 km, active safety systems experience an ‘issue’ an average of every 8 miles (12.9 km).
The study involved a number of different 2019 and 2020 models including a BMW X7, a Cadillac CT6, a Ford Edge, a Kia Telluride and a Subaru Outback. All were equipped with some form of semi-autonomous driving technology, ranging from Cadillac’s Super Cruise to Telluride’s Highway Driving Assist.
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Most of the problems can be attributed to lane-keeping assistance systems, as they were responsible for 73% of the events in the test. Not surprisingly, the condition of the road and lane markings had an enormous impact on their effectiveness.
In particular, the study found that on fresh combat with well-defined job markers, all systems were able to maintain consistent job position. However, most roads are not new and the condition of marking rights can vary greatly.
That was not the only problem, as the study found that the systems had problems keeping cars in their lane. They would also get “too close” to other cars as protection wheels.
The study also found operating assistance systems are “far from 100% reliable.” Of note, the models had difficulty dealing with a simulated off-road vehicle that partially blocked lane traffic.
The BMW X7 hit the simulated car on two of three runs. In one case, the crossover did not even recognize the obstacle and plowed 46.9 km / h at 28.9 km / h. However, it recognized the red on the second run and applied the brakes, reducing the impulse speed to 40.4 km / h. In the third run, the simulated car was detected early enough that a collision occurred.
The Telluride hit the simulated car every three times, but also applied the brakes before they hit in any case. The Outback hit the simulated car only once and at a significantly reduced speed of 14.4 mph (23.1 km / h).
Overall, AAA says that a collision happened 66% of the time. However, the average impulse speed was 25 mph (40.2 km / h), which was lower than the set speed of 30 mph (48.3 km / h). It is also worth mentioning that these systems are not really designed to identify cars that only block one lane.
On the bright side, the various custom cruise control systems with stop-and-go / traffic support worked well. AAA says they “did not make contact with the lead vehicle during any test drive.”
According to AAA Director of Automotive Engineering and Relations, Greg Brannon, “With the number of issues we’ve encountered in testing, it’s unclear how these systems improve the driving experience in its current form.” He added, “In the long run, a bad experience with current technology could introduce public acceptance of more automated cars in the future.”
