BOISE – Advanced vehicle technology is improving by leaps and bounds, but AAA warns that drivers still need to take charge to safely reaching their destination.

AAA recently tested five vehicles equipped with low-speed-capable Active Driving Assistance (ADA), also known as Traffic Jam Assistance, in heavy Los Angeles traffic.  Each vehicle was tested for an average of 342 miles over 16 hours of drive time.

Both “hands-on” and “hands-off” varieties of ADA were evaluated.

Key results

Test drivers recorded a “notable event,” a time when the technology failed to react appropriately, every 3.2 miles, or about every 9 minutes of drive time.  Drivers had to intervene in 85% of these events.  Most notable events were cut-ins by other vehicles, followed by inadequate lane-centering. “Today’s Level 2 automation can be an extra set of eyes, but not the one and only,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde.  “Overreliance on technology can lead to dangerous lulls in driver concentration.  By the time an inattentive driver reacts, it may be too late.”

AAA is sharing this information with vehicle manufacturers to help them make additional improvements to this promising technology.

“We’ve come a long way, but no vehicle on the market today can take the place of an engaged driver,” Conde said.

How does Traffic Jam Assistance work?

Like adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assistance uses a combination of cameras, LIDAR and radar to detect other vehicles and to maintain lane position. 

In some vehicles, the driver must always keep their hands on the steering wheel for the technology to work, and in others, the driver’s hands must be near the steering wheel to periodically touch the wheel and ‘check in’ with the technology to prove attentiveness.

During AAA’s research, drivers using hands-on systems had to intervene three times as often as those with hands-off systems, suggesting significant variation in how these systems perform.

If another vehicle cuts in front of one equipped with Traffic Jam Assistance, the technology may become confused, forcing the driver to quickly take control to prevent a crash.

“Another thing to watch for is drifting in your lane,” Conde said.  “If your car isn’t ‘seeing’ the road the right way, it could wander a little.  In other words, there’s never a great time to be distracted behind the wheel.”

Safely using Active Driving Assistance

  • Remain alert at all times.  Be ready to brake or steer with little or no warning.
  • Eliminate distractions, including your smartphone.
  • Scan the road to anticipate the actions of other drivers.
  • Be familiar with the strengths and limitations of vehicle driving and safety systems.  Ask the dealer or consult your owner’s manual for more information.
  • Maintain a safe following distance – many crashes are preventable rear-end collisions.

“We ask vehicle manufacturers to make it very obvious when advanced driving assistance systems are active or inactive,” Conde said.  “That way, drivers know what to expect and have as much of a time and safety cushion as possible.”