- Self-driving tech hopes to make our roads safer, but the data proving its effectiveness is limited so far.
- Instead, ADAS with crash avoidance features are a proven solution that need wider implementation.
- Study says self-driving systems cause more accidents than human-driven vehicles at dawn and dusk and during "turning conditions."
Road accidents rank among the leading causes of death in the U.S., and over the past few years, things are actually getting worse. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that nearly 41,000 fatalities occurred due to motor vehicle accidents in 2023.
To tackle this crisis, automakers are pouring billions into self-driving technology. In what's generally considered the eventual, broad vision of the future, you don’t have to drive at all. Computer algorithms guided by a bunch of cameras, radars and sensors will happily do that for you.
How realistic is this vision? And how much better would they be compared to the safety systems that are currently in place?
Experts argue that the solution to safer roads, at least from a vehicle standpoint—excluding driver education and improved road design—already exists.
“Crash avoidance technologies are preventing crashes and are becoming more available on new vehicles,” David Kidd, a senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) told InsideEVs.
But there's still a lack of solid data to support the claim that autonomous cars will further the effectiveness of what ADAS systems can already achieve.
Most modern cars are equipped with ADAS features such as forward collision alerts, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and more. IIHS said these systems substantially reduce the types of crashes they were designed to address. They act as a safety net, offering a layer of additional protection.
Take AEB for example. It relies on radar and cameras to monitor the road ahead. When it detects danger, it first analyzes if you’re taking reactive measures, such as braking or steering to avoid the obstacle. If you fail to react in time, AEB automatically brakes to slow down or stop the vehicle.
IIHS said AEB reduced police-reported rear-end crashes by 50%. Other features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and blind spot monitoring are effective too.
The same cannot be said for Level 2 systems like Tesla’s so-called Full-Self Driving, Ford’s Blue Cruise or General Motors’ Super Cruise—where cars can drive semi-autonomously with driver supervision in certain conditions.
“Automation changes how people interact with the car,” Kidd said. “People may become more comfortable over time using it and they engage in more distracting activities.”
The NHTSA recognizes distracted driving as a problem but has not linked that to self-driving systems yet. “NHTSA will continue to hold manufacturers accountable for any products that introduce an unreasonable risk to safety,” an NHTSA spokesperson said. “The agency has opened multiple investigations regarding potential safety defects in ADAS and ADS, which have led to several recalls…”
Yet, there’s conflicting data on how self-driving tech impacts road safety. One study published in the journal Nature in June this year said self-driving cars generally had a lower chance of accidents than human-driven vehicles in similar scenarios. But they caused more accidents than humans during dawn, dusk or “turning conditions.”
A different study that analyzed an NHTSA database found that accidents involving cars equipped with Level 2 systems were increasing. Although, those crashes were categorized based on what the vehicles were equipped with, not on what was reported to be engaged during the accident.
Tesla periodically releases Autopilot data to showcase improvements in the number of miles driven per accident. But we’ve seen multiple reports of Teslas equipped with Autopilot and FSD being involved in fatal crashes, prompting U.S. Justice Department and NHTSA investigations.
“The bottom line is that we have strong evidence that crash avoidance technology is preventing crashes and reducing injuries,” Kidd said. “Once you add automation or ADAS in the vehicle, we're not seeing any change in terms of safety. Really the only benefits or any potential benefits are convenience and comfort.”
Granted, automation is relatively new. It may require millions of additional miles driven before we see more accurate results. But at this point, those systems are far from perfect. Experts seem to agree.
"OEMs that sell cars to consumers and are claiming they have self-driving technology are not telling the truth about their car’s system's capabilities," Richard Schram, the technical director at Euro NCAP, told InsideEVs. He said ADAS systems have been helping improve driver performance for years, but it doesn't take responsibilities away from the driver.
Now the challenge is for drivers to learn the skills needed while using automation, Kidd said. Just like EVs require a steep learning curve as a fresh technology, autonomous driving would also need substantial driver education on how and when to intervene, which conditions are safe with hands-off the wheel and so on.
He added that regulators should prevent automakers from allowing drivers to switch off certain crash avoidance systems like lane departure warning. “We don’t think that should be allowed, especially knowing that it makes driving safer.”
Now the NHTSA is finally taking steps to make certain systems like the AEB mandatory on all cars. The agency announced in April this year that by 2029, AEB would be standard on all passenger cars and light trucks. The system must detect pedestrians at dawn, dusk and during turning.
“Companies want to keep pace with the bleeding edge of technology. It's a bit of an arms race,” Kidd said. “As a driver, not having to participate in the mundaneness of operating a vehicle, that's very appealing. But we're just not there yet.”
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
