SAE Update - March 2022 - 9

SAE International
Driver distraction a major concern in
semi-automated driving
TECH FOCUS:
AUTOMATED VEHICLES
Twenty-nine-year SAE member David Zuby is a frequent
speaker at SAE events.
during manual driving and also are more
prone to look away from the road for longer
periods and engage in distracting behaviors
such as looking at mobile devices. It's
possible that these behavior adaptations
offset each other.
Much of the concern about the safety of
Level 2 systems is based on a phenomenon
observed in multiple industry and
transportation settings where automation
has been introduced: The less there is for
human operators to do, the harder it is for
them to pay attention. This is especially true
if the need to take control from the
automated system occurs rarely. For this
reason, it's crucial that automakers put
robust safeguards in place to support
drivers' safe use of Level 2 features. At the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, we
recently announced plans to publish ratings
of these safeguards. Our evaluation will
consider driver monitoring, attention alerts,
response to an unresponsive driver,
automatic lane-changing behavior, and
other characteristics of these systems.
Despite the concerns these systems raise,
UPDATE
if Level 2 features can deliver safely the
promised convenience and comfort, then
they may indirectly enhance the safety of
vehicles. As mentioned above, vehicles with
Level 2 features are also typically equipped
with the crash avoidance systems that we
know help drivers avoid collisions. New
vehicle buyers may be more willing to pay
for the comfort and convenience that Level 2
affords than for crash avoidance features
that they will rarely experience in day-to-day
driving.
Finally, the Level 2 features available today
may help drivers become more comfortable
with the idea of using higher levels of
automation that could eliminate the need to
devote any attention to driving, at least in
some situations. A 2021 AAA survey found
that 54% of respondents said they would be
afraid to ride in an automated vehicle, and
another 32% said they were unsure. The 2021
J.D. Power Mobility Confidence Index survey,
however, found that people who drive
vehicles with active driving assistance
systems were more likely to express comfort
with the idea of higher levels of automation
than those whose vehicles didn't have them.
I look forward to investigating these issues
in more depth with experts from BMW, Ford,
Hyundai, and Toyota when I moderate " SAE
Level 2 - Taking Stock of Where We Are,
What Have We Learned, and Where Are We
going " at SAE WCX 2022. If you're attending
WCX, I hope you'll join us for what is sure to
be a fascinating discussion during the
Leadership Summit on April 5 in Detroit. n
March 2022
9

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/iihs-creates-safeguard-ratings-for-partial-automation https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/iihs-creates-safeguard-ratings-for-partial-automation https://www.sae.org/attend/wcx?utm_source=AP&utm_campaign=sem

SAE Update - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - March 2022