WASHINGTON — Autopilot technology is supposed to help make our roads safer but a new report examines if the technology is instead making it easier for drivers to be even more distracted.
Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Nicole D’Antonio dove into a new report that found drivers are more likely to multi-task while using autopilot.
That includes using their phone, or even eating, while they’re behind the wheel. The report, produced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the concerning trend of distracted drivers and autopilot comes as cars get more high-tech than ever before.
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Some cars even include partial automation using cameras and other sensors to keep your car in the center of the lane, at the speed you choose, and can even slow down your car to avoid other vehicles on the road.
However, drivers are supposed to pay attention to what’s happening on the road and be ready to take over at any time.
The IIHS study says not all drivers are doing that.
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“These drivers had these vehicles for four weeks and at the very beginning of the study, we looked to see what their distraction levels were like when they were using the assistance technology versus while they were driving without it,” Ian Reagan, IIHS, told Channel 2 Action News.
Researchers with IIHS found that drivers using the autopilot technology had changes in their behavior while driving over the course of the study.
The report found that the tendency for distracted driving increased as drivers became more comfortable with the technology, but researchers say it’s hard to measure the impact that comfort could have on safety.
Still, they said more safeguards are needed to prevent distracted driving in the future.
“If automakers are going to deploy this partial driving automation... they need to make sure there is a really robust protocol in place to make sure drivers are engaged in the driving task,” Reagan said.
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