Changes to testing regime include using systems in the real world, while pushing for adaptive technology
New safety features that adapt to individual drivers are expected to make their way into cars by the end of the decade – and it is hoped this will increase motorists’ acceptance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) anid growing scepticism of the tech, Europe’s main vehicle safety body, Euro NCAP, has told Autocar.
In 2019, the EU introduced General Safety Regulations 2 (GSR2), which mandate the fitment of ADAS on all new models launched from 2022 and all cars registered from 2024 onwards. Technologies that became compulsory include intelligent speed assistance (ISA), emergency lane keeping (ELK) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
However, driver acceptance of the systems has been mixed. A survey commissioned by automotive risk analyst Thatcham Research found that 82% of drivers in the UK reported feeling safer with ADAS fitted to their car but almost a quarter regarded the features as distracting, irritating or intrusive, leading some to turn them off entirely (even though this must be done each time the vehicle is started).
In order to counter this scepticism, a key feature that ADAS must deliver next is the ability to adapt to each driver, because current systems can be too intrusive, leading to distrust, explained Adriano Palao, ADAS technical manager at Euro NCAP.
The organisation not only crash tests and safety rates new cars but also works with the industry to create new safety tech. “We only want to make ADAS better,” he said. “I am on a mission to achieve this. It’s a fundamental turning point in the technology, and we want to encourage OEMS to take this approach.”
More intelligence required
One thing that must change, said Palao, is the ability of systems to “understand what condition the driver is in”. He explained: “This is important. If you understand that, you can make your ADAS better.”
As an example, he cited lane keeping assistance, a system that attempts to keep the car in the centre of a lane by using a camera to monitor road markings and then takes over the steering to adjust the car’s position as necessary.
“I consider lane keeping assist absolutely useless when i am in control,” he said. “At such times, I don’t want it to correct my trajectory at all. A good driver monitoring system will know if the driver is paying attention so that ADAS will intervene only when required.”
Palao also criticised driver monitoring systems that don’t distinguish between different levels of driver distraction – something that “can cause issues of acceptance among drivers and feelings that the system is patronising them”.
He continued: “We need to understand that drivers will for legitimate reasons engage in distracting activities, such as turning off the radio or changing the temperature. We don’t want the system to warn for this.”
Tailored seatbelts and airbags; more cameras
Euro NCAP is pushing for restraint systems to become smarter too. Palao explained that sensors capable of detecting the dimensions and shapes of the driver and front passenger will ensure the load limiter on the restraint system is tuned to deliver the best interventions.
The system will also manage the inflation area and deployment of the airbags so that their explosive force is dissipated in a less potentially harmful way, again depending on the occupant.
In-cabin cameras will also be installed to detect seatbelt misuse. Palao said: “Some taxi drivers, for example, who find the seatbelt uncomfortable, bypass the alarm system with fake buckles, but a camera will detect this and trigger an audible warning.
“Using a camera, it will also be possible to detect If a passenger has their feet on the dashboard and how close individuals are sitting to the airbags.”
What about hands-off driving?
Semi-autonomous car technology is expected to become more widely available in the next decade – but some firms already offer it today.
Last month, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority gave Tesla permission to deploy its optional Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system an Model 3 and Model Y cars on Dutch roads. The system, which went live in the US several years ago, enables the car to drive itself from point to point, albeit with the driver’s eyes fixed on the road.
Other car makers offer systems that are similar but more limited. Ford’s BlueCruise, for example, has the same semi-autonomy as FSD but is regulated for use in designated ‘Blue Zones’ only, which are mostly motorways.
Mercedes-Benz’s level-three Drive Pilot system an option for the S-Class and EQS saloons – can be used only on specific roads in Germany, California and Nevada, only in traffic, only at up to 40mph and only where the weather is clear and road markings are visible.
Palao didn’t criticise FSD but questioned aspects of its implementation. especially given Tesla’s lack of participation in Europe’s safety programmes.
“It’s a breakthrough system, but what is Euro NCAP’s role?” he asked. “We liaise with Tesla but the company is planning its own roadmap without collaborating with us, and we need to understand if it is doing so in a safe manner.”
Palao said Euro NCAP’s ignorance of Tesla’s methods extended to FSD’s driver monitoring technology: “What does it mean for the driver to have their eyes on the road with this system? They could be watching a film on their phone mounted on the steering wheel, fooling the system they are looking at the road. We don’t have enough information to say whether it is good or bad.”
He added: “We mustn’t forget that if you crash using Tesla’s FSD system, you, the driver, are liable.”
Euro NCAP to start road testing ADAS
Euro NCAP will, for the first time, test vehicles on public roads to find out how reliable and accurate current ADAS features are amid growing scepticism among motorists of the safety technologies.
Euro NCAP’s new ‘on-road driving evaluation programme aims to understand these and other criticisms of ADAS.
Starting this year, every vehicle that it tests will be equipped with a suite of additional exterior and interior ‘ground truth’ sensors to accurately monitor speed limits and record how the vehicle responds to them. It will be driven a total of around 1200 miles in at least three European countries, with every reaction logged.
“We have worked on ADAS for years and now we want to make sure the technologies are delivering not only on the test track but on the road,” said Palao. “For example, is (the lane keeping assist annoying and aggressive? What is the accuracy of the speed limit information? Were there any false braking events? This is the first time we have sought to find out what is the experience of the end consumer.”
