[msb-alumni] Testing finds flaws with autos' electronic safety systems
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2018 16:08:59 -0400
BlankTesting finds flaws with autos' electronic safety systems By Tom Krisher
Associated Press
DETROIT Cars and trucks with electronic driver assist systems may not see
stopped vehicles and could even steer you into a crash if you're not paying
attention, an insurance industry group warns.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a paper "Reality Check," issued
the warning Tuesday after testing five of the systems from Tesla, Mercedes, BMW
and Volvo on a track and public roads. The upshot is while they could save your
life, the systems can fail under many circumstances.
"We have found situations where the vehicles under semi-automated control may
do
things that can put you and your passengers at risk, and so you really need to
be on top of it to prevent that from happening," said David Zuby, the
institute's chief research officer.
Among the scariest found by the Virginia-based institute was with the system in
two Tesla vehicles, the Model S and Model 3. The institute tested the system
with the adaptive cruise control turned off, but automatic braking on. At 31
mph, both Teslas braked and mitigated a crash but still hit a stationary
balloon. They were the only two models that failed to stop in time during tests
on a track. Yet when the adaptive cruise control, which keeps a set distance
from cars in front, is activated, the Teslas braked earlier and gentler and
avoided the balloon, the agency said.
On the road, the institute's engineers found all vehicles but Tesla's Model 3
failed to respond to stopped vehicles ahead of them, the institute said. The
systems tested, in the Teslas, BMW's 5-Series, the Volvo S-90 and the Mercedes
E-Class, are among
the best in the business right now and have been rated "superior" in previous
IIHS tests. Zuby said the systems do increase safety but the tests show they
are
not 100 percent reliable.
Many of the scenarios discovered by IIHS are covered in the vehicles' owner's
manuals, which tell drivers they have to pay
attention. But Zuby said not many people read their owner's manuals in detail.
Even though the systems have names like Tesla's "Autopilot" or Volvo's "Pilot
Assist," they are not self-driving vehicles, Zuby said. "They will help you
with
some steering or speed control but you really better be paying attention
because
they don't always get it right," he said.
Many of the cars' lane-centering systems failed, especially on curves or hills.
The BMW, Model S and
Volvo "steered toward or across the lane line regularly," requiring driver
intervention, the IIHS said. The IIHS-affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute
analyzed Tesla insurance losses to find that automatic braking and other crash
avoidance features on the Model S were helpful in reducing property damage and
bodily injury claims. But adding "Autopilot," which includes automatic steering
and lane-changing, only helped to lower collision claims.
The institute, which in the past has developed tests that made the auto
industry
strengthen vehicle structures, also said the California crash of a Tesla Model
X
SUV in March that killed a man shows the limits of the technology and the
tendency of some drivers to misuse it. The group also said a pedestrian death
in
Arizona involving an Uber autonomous vehicle shows the dangers of testing
self-driving vehicles on public roads.
IIHS is developing ratings for driver assist systems and eventually will make
recommendations on regulations for fully autonomous vehicles, Zuby said.
Messages were left Monday seeking comment from the automakers.
Other related posts:
- » [msb-alumni] Testing finds flaws with autos' electronic safety systems - Steve
