Drivers Don't Understand How Cruise Control Works

[RickLightning]

https://carbuzz.com/news/drivers-dont-understand-how-cruise-control-works

This explains why there are so many accidents unfairly attributed to Autopilot.

For most people that aren't car enthusiasts, the future of driving isn't really about driving. It's about getting around with as little effort and mental energy as possible. Fair. Not everyone is built to want to do a 200+ mph Autobahn blast. Some just want to cruise around in their Mustang Mach-E without being bothered. However, a recent study found that despite that, a concerning number of people aren't aware of the limitations of their car's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Companies like Ford and, of course, Tesla, have put a lot of time and money into making this technology work. That's especially true of adaptive cruise control (ACC). It controls the following distance and speed of your car based on various sensors to help you cruise around without ever touching the pedals. Ford calls it Bluecruise, and Tesla calls its software Autopilot. but a recent report proved that this kind of tech makes us worse drivers and that has now been validated by another agency.

A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers who bought cars equipped with ACC, like a Tesla Model 3, showed an improved understanding of the software after simply using it for around six months. However, users of the software failed to grasp the intricacies of the software when compared to those who had a short educational course on the software.
Moreover, AAA found that a "potentially dangerous sub-group of over-confident drivers" exists and that they failed to understand the software while also being overconfident in their knowledge of it. The study found that some falsely believe adaptive cruise systems would react to stationary objects on the road like debris or traffic cones. It also found that some believe the system will keep the car centered in its lane. To be fair, some systems, like Bluecurise and Autopilot do this, but it's typically a separate feature known as lane keep assist. Other participants also believed the system would work regardless of weather conditions.

A spokesperson for the agency stated that the learn-as-you-go approach simply doesn't cut it for systems like Bluecruise, or even less advanced ACC systems. AAA recommends taking the time to educate yourself about the limitations of ACC software to prevent any accidents. It also recommended requesting hands-on training at dealers and treating the software like it could fail at any moment.
The study urges automakers, researchers, and government agencies like the NHTSA to work together to understand consumers' relationship with new ADAS technologies. Computers are becoming ever-more integrated into cars, and convenience software like ACC will only continue to become more prominent. We'll have to wait and see if further regulatory measures are taken over the coming years.

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[Easycamper]

Tesla and Musk with their army of Internet defenders have vastly oversold the capabilities of Autopilot for almost a decade now and bear a lot of the responsibility for misleading the public. I had a conversation with a co-worker where she talked about how she “hit the self-driving button” (actually ACC) on her rental car.

 

[Nick Gerteis]

“Hands-on training” for “hands-free driving “. Wait, what? I agree with the concept though, the more trained and educated the better, and safer.

 

[RickLightning]

In reality,

 

[FordLightningMan]

As a Tesla owner in the FSD Beta, I will say you must be aware at all times. The biggest challenge I face is potholes, as the AI in the car would rather hit a foot deep pothole at 45mph than move into the shoulder to avoid the hole.

That's the problem with these half-way autopilot measures. You get lulled into a state of less awareness because the car drives itself perfectly 98% of the time. That can make it a challenge to react the 2% of the time the car messes up.

 

[beatle]

CarBuzz is kind of trash. They're not helping the situation by conflating adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist (LKA), autopilot, and blue cruise. Neither Ford nor Tesla uses their trademarked names to refer to ACC which simply regulates speed as it relates to a setpoint and the vehicle in front of you. LKA only intervenes if you start to drift out of your lane; it doesn't actively keep you in the center of it. The trademarked assistance features also actively steer the vehicle to keep it in the center of its lane, and Tesla's "FSD" autopilot will also change lanes on its own to overtake slower vehicles.

I agree that education on the systems is important, especially as different manufacturers have different capabilities even within a specific model. A lot of people ask me "hey does your car drive itself?" thinking that autopilot does more than just help control the car.

This article explains the differences among the systems at a high level:

https://www.consumerreports.org/dri...g-assist-system-is-right-for-you-a4813532588/

 

[hturnerfamily]

our new KIA Sorento PHEV plug-in hybrid Prestige trim has all the 'self driving' automation, although they don't use that term, they use various elements like 'lane-keeping assist', 'lane-centering assist', and 'adaptive cruise control', as well as the ability to suggest how 'far' to stay back from the car ahead of you, and whether or not to 'maintain' a certain speed, as POSTED, which is another technology that reads the road signage.
There are elements that I absolutely LOVE, and would never again want to do without for long-distance travel, whether by interstate, or simply ANY roadway.
There are elements that I will probably NEVER use, like maintaining a 'speed' as read by the signage, etc. The reason is that you can get lulled into thinking that it will do all the speed corrections for you, and it will, buy you also might not LIKE how it does it. If a temporary sign says 55mph from a current 70mph, you might hit your head on the windshield when it suddenly 'slows' down. The other end of the spectrum is when the signage goes from 55pmh to 70mph. The car will suddenly TRY to get to 70 with the pedal to the metal. Also not a comfortable feeling.

 

[Mr. Flibble]

Having tried the Autopilot/LKA of both Tesla and the Kia Niro, I think it is mostly garbage.

That is to say, on a big open freeway, the tech works fairly well, but that also does not require much skill from the driver.

The rural highway that we live off of is a different matter. Both Tesla and the Kia Niro try to crash the car by "assisting" the driver into an accident on our local road.

How so? Because we live on a single lane twisty highway, for whatever reason, these driver assist systems get confused by the narrow road, and when you turn on lane assist, the car starts drifting over the centerline (hitting the rumble strips) or drifting way off the fog line aiming for the ditch.

Its worse when the system is on and the steering wheel is fighting to push you into oncoming traffic!

I think at this point, the software is only really good for big open roads, as our experience on rural highways has not been postitive at all.

 

[IdeaOfTheDayCom]

Giving control up to any form of automation scares me. I like having control, but what I really like is that these sorts of automation are like a co-pilot.... a second set of eyes willing to pitch in when needed.

I experienced this firsthand last October, when the car next to me was hit when somebody that blew a red light. When that car was hit into my lane, my Mach-E took control of the wheel and the accelerator. The Mach-E found a clear space ahead of me and to the right. It sped up and turned the wheel avoiding a full collision. My car ended up with a slight dent on the plastic fender, and was safely on the right side of the road before I realized what happened.

NOBODY should ever give up control of their vehicles entirely. We're still a long way away from that.

I've been to funerals for people who have driven off a road. Most likely they were distracted or fell asleep at the wheel. The real value to me is not in giving up control, but knowing that the vehicle will do everything it can to protect me and my family.

 

[VTbuckeye]

Having tried the Autopilot/LKA of both Tesla and the Kia Niro, I think it is mostly garbage.

That is to say, on a big open freeway, the tech works fairly well, but that also does not require much skill from the driver.

The rural highway that we live off of is a different matter. Both Tesla and the Kia Niro try to crash the car by "assisting" the driver into an accident on our local road.

How so? Because we live on a single lane twisty highway, for whatever reason, these driver assist systems get confused by the narrow road, and when you turn on lane assist, the car starts drifting over the centerline (hitting the rumble strips) or drifting way off the fog line aiming for the ditch.

Its worse when the system is on and the steering wheel is fighting to push you into oncoming traffic!

I think at this point, the software is only really good for big open roads, as our experience on rural highways has not been postitive at all.

On our Volvo XC90 I can toggle the lane keeping assist on and off while the adaptive cruise continues to function. Our xc40 EV allows the toggling of the lane keeping assist in a menu on the main display three or four taps to get there... These systems are great a lot of the time, but they should be easily turned off without looking at a screen because sometimes they just don't work well on a given road in certain conditions.

 

[hturnerfamily]

on our new KIA Sorento PHEV, the 'assist' features are nice, but yes, in certain situations they are not perfect, although I'll admit that they work well a majority of the time. Most of us don't want or need 'assist' when leaving our home and driving thru town to work. We want 'assist' when we are on long trips, for sure.
'lane keeping assist': a physical button that you can push to engage this feature. It monitors you're proximity to the left or right lane markers and 'buzzes' and 'steers' you back if you get too close. You can easily overcome the 'push' or 'pull' of the wheel, it does not take much effort. This feature works all of the time, if you want to keep it on, just in case you lose your attention to the road.
'lane centering assist': this is more of a 'self driving' feature, keeping you constantly centered in the middle of the lane, for long-range trips, and high-speed travel. It works great, and hardly has any issues, even with big rigs and a lot of close traffic. It is not perfect, and takes little effort to move the wheel when the 'alert' comes up on screen for you to keep your attention on the road. If you remain inactive to the wheel, the next 'alert' provides audible beeping, along with a more 'pronounced' screen warning. If you continue to remain inactive, it will eventually disable the feature and leave you without ANY assistance. I'm not sure if I like that outcome, but it is what it is. I would like to see the system then to start to slow the vehicle down, even if you have your foot on the pedal, and let you KNOW that it will not continue without you taking the wheel.
'adaptive cruise control': also a fantastic 'self driving' feature, as it monitors not only YOUR speed, but also the speed of any traffic ahead of you, with the ability to slow you down as forward traffic slows, even coming to a complete stop.
What's interesting about this system, though, is the ability to have it 'read' the road signage and manage your speed accordingly, if that's what you wish. I like the 'idea' of this, but what I DON'T like is how it suddenly INCREASES your speed when slower traffic ahead moves out of the way, etc. I wish it would simply 'slowly' increase the speed, again. If road signage is not accurate, or worse, is placed incorrectly, or inconsistently, your vehicle could be slamming on the brakes in one moment, and drag racing the next. I don't use this feature, but I LOVE the adaptive cruise control, otherwise, especially in bumper to bumper traffic. It works much better in low-speed scenarios.

Can you drive for miles and miles without your hands on the wheel? Well, yes and no.

No, the system is designed to alert you to your 'hands off' experience periodically, although there is no 'set' amount of time that I've experience, it seems to be more based on the factors of what's happening. For instance, you can set the system when you reach speed, the system finds the road lines and activates itself to 'active', and then you are all set. It may send an on-screen alert almost immediately, or it may seem to be quite happy and wait for what seems like minutes before a 'hand off' alert happens. It's quite easy to let the system know you are handing the wheel by simply 'grabbing' if for just a moment. It does not 'read' your hand, your fingerprint, or your temperature, but it simply knows when you have provided a very small amount of movement, beyond what the system is already providing - otherwise an input that moves the wheel, even ever so slightly.

Yes, the system is designed to allow for hands-free driving for sometimes quite a while, but it will never go un-alerting for very long. I find, though, that even with that, it allows for a MUCH easier driving experience, and much more relaxed environment. And, not to take your attention off the driving, but because it works so well, you can relax from worrying so much about other things that might take your attention away for a moment, especially when your phone rings, or dings, or you simply look in your rearview mirror to respond to a passenger asking you a question, etc. It's all-around a VERY NICE improvement on the long-range driving experience.

I hope that the Lightning has some of the same options.

 

[idahospud]

https://carbuzz.com/news/drivers-dont-understand-how-cruise-control-works

This explains why there are so many accidents unfairly attributed to Autopilot.

For most people that aren't car enthusiasts, the future of driving isn't really about driving. It's about getting around with as little effort and mental energy as possible. Fair. Not everyone is built to want to do a 200+ mph Autobahn blast. Some just want to cruise around in their Mustang Mach-E without being bothered. However, a recent study found that despite that, a concerning number of people aren't aware of the limitations of their car's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Companies like Ford and, of course, Tesla, have put a lot of time and money into making this technology work. That's especially true of adaptive cruise control (ACC). It controls the following distance and speed of your car based on various sensors to help you cruise around without ever touching the pedals. Ford calls it Bluecruise, and Tesla calls its software Autopilot. but a recent report proved that this kind of tech makes us worse drivers and that has now been validated by another agency.

A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers who bought cars equipped with ACC, like a Tesla Model 3, showed an improved understanding of the software after simply using it for around six months. However, users of the software failed to grasp the intricacies of the software when compared to those who had a short educational course on the software.
Moreover, AAA found that a "potentially dangerous sub-group of over-confident drivers" exists and that they failed to understand the software while also being overconfident in their knowledge of it. The study found that some falsely believe adaptive cruise systems would react to stationary objects on the road like debris or traffic cones. It also found that some believe the system will keep the car centered in its lane. To be fair, some systems, like Bluecurise and Autopilot do this, but it's typically a separate feature known as lane keep assist. Other participants also believed the system would work regardless of weather conditions.

A spokesperson for the agency stated that the learn-as-you-go approach simply doesn't cut it for systems like Bluecruise, or even less advanced ACC systems. AAA recommends taking the time to educate yourself about the limitations of ACC software to prevent any accidents. It also recommended requesting hands-on training at dealers and treating the software like it could fail at any moment.
The study urges automakers, researchers, and government agencies like the NHTSA to work together to understand consumers' relationship with new ADAS technologies. Computers are becoming ever-more integrated into cars, and convenience software like ACC will only continue to become more prominent. We'll have to wait and see if further regulatory measures are taken over the coming years.

Thanks for sharing Ricklightning

 

[Maquis]

With my MME, I actually find that the acceleration is lagging when a slower car turns or otherwise gets out of the way. I keep waiting for impatient drivers behind me to start honking!

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