Automation is making drivers lazier, IIHS study

Over time, "self-driving" car features tend to make drivers less attentive, according to a study last year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It measured how often drivers let their focus slip, engaging in observable behaviors like fiddling with electronics or taking both hands off the wheel. For many of the drivers, automation appeared to create a false sense of security.

"I think these studies provide valuable clarity," said Dawn Lee, PEMCO's Vice President of Product and Underwriting and a Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) board member. "In the same way you'd never say, 'My car has airbags, so I don't need to drive as carefully,' you wouldn't want to assume a lesser role in controlling your car just because it offers collision-avoidance features."

How automation impacts attentiveness

The observational study focused on two automation features: adaptive cruise control (ACC), which controls speed and following distance, and lane-centering. Cars tested had either ACC alone or ACC in combination with lane-centering.

After one month of using the features, drivers in both groups showed diminished attentiveness. Drivers with ACC alone were more likely to look at or pick up a cell phone. In addition, when they had both ACC and lane-centering, they were 12 times more likely to take both hands off the wheel than when they were driving manually.

The drop in attentiveness is worrisome. In every probe of crashes involving partial automation, drivers' lack of engagement is a major factor. That includes last summer's sheriff's cruiser/Tesla Autopilot crash, in which the Tesla driver was watching a movie on his phone.

Automation features are ranked from Level 1 (the car assists the driver in one function, like ACC) to Level 5, in which the car is deemed truly self-driving. The highest level of automation available in production cars today is Level 2, which includes the combination of ACC and lane-centering.

Automation still makes us safer

The findings of the IIHS attentiveness study don't diminish other real-world crash studies that show automation features DO reduce claims frequency.

A Highway Loss Data Institute study, for example, looked at crash records for 2013-2017 BMWs. Models with upgraded forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking and ACC (found in BMW's Driving Assistance package) saw claim frequency drop 6% for collisions, 27% for property damage and 37% for bodily injury. (There was no statistically significant improvement for the Driving Assistance Plus package, which also included lane-centering and cross-traffic alerts.

The takeaways from these and other vehicle-automation studies: It's worth it for car buyers to prioritize vehicles with automated collision-avoidance features. And at the same time, they need be realistic in their expectations of what automation can do. Regardless of the vehicle, drivers still need to drive.