Toronto, Ontario — A new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that partial automation that allows some manual steering may help keep drivers engaged behind the wheel.
Specifically, the study notes that “drivers who are used to partial automation that switches off when they try to share control over the steering are less willing to steer or put their hands on the wheel in sticky situations. In contrast, drivers of vehicles with systems that allow some manual steering are more inclined to take an active role.”
The study continues that cooperative steering is designed to let drivers make minor adjustments within a travel lane without deactivating the advanced driver assistance systems.
However, the study also indicates that “most drivers believe that’s the way their own system works, whether or not that’s the case.”
Those whose vehicles really do allow for shared control are also 40 to 48 percent less likely than others to say they would keep their hands off the wheel in situations that “would make most drivers nervous.”
IIHS President David Harkey commented that “these results suggest that small differences in system design can nudge drivers toward safer habits.”
To read the full study, click here.
