With High-Tech Cars, Familiarity May Breed Complacency

Technologies like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist have the potential to make your driving safer, but they could also breed complacency, a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study suggests.

Researchers investigating how technology affects behavior found that drivers who were more familiar with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) tended to pay less attention to the road when using the systems compared to driving without them. Study authors worry drivers who are more experienced with ADAS may become over-reliant on the technology.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety partnered with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to study distracted driving among two groups of drivers – one that owned vehicles equipped with ADAS technology and one that was given ADAS-equipped vehicles to drive.

Researchers recorded and analyzed driver behavior using video cameras mounted in the cars. They found the drivers who owned ADAS-equipped vehicles were almost twice as likely to take their eyes off the road and be generally less engaged when using ADAS technologies compared to driving without them.

Novelty appears to be a critical variable.

Researchers theorize that drivers new to ADAS aren’t ready to “trust” the technology, so they remain focused and engaged. Drivers experienced with ADAS have seen it work over time – they’ve come to rely on it – so they’re more likely to let their attention wander. Previous research on airplane pilots and nuclear technicians found a similar link.

Think back to the first few times you used standard cruise control. Initially, it’s likely you were hyper alert – cautiously feeling out the technology, carefully processing feedback. But over time, it became just another feature of the car, one you barely thought about.

If you’re thinking about buying an ADAS equipped car – or if you already own one – you should learn as much as possible about the technology and its limitations. AAA recommends three simple steps for how to ACE your next vehicle rental or purchase:

• Always remain active and engaged when using ADAS technologies like lane-keep assist or adaptive cruise control.
• Commit to knowing what ADAS technologies are installed on your vehicle and how they work.
• Expect that the advanced driver assistance technologies in your vehicle have limitations.

ADAS has tremendous promise to improve the driving experience. But it’s not infallible. There still is no substitute for an alert, engaged driver.

For more information on this study or other research by the AAA Foundation, visit aaafoundation.org.