Are Semi-Autonomous Cars Making Us Worse Drivers?

Cars that drive for us some of the time could be lulling us into dangerous distraction, according to several auto industry experts.

Researchers at the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan have told MIT Technology Review in the past that semi-autonomous features, like adaptive cruise control or Tesla’s Autopilot, could increase the incidence of distracted driving. In fact, it’s something researchers have been warning about for years.

Now, a Bloomberg report features a bunch of auto experts from across the industry all worrying about the fact that such systems are already having an impact on drivers’ abilities.

Semi-autonomous systems are making the task of driving easier, they say, which breeds complacency and erodes attention

The most striking example yet of that phenomenon was a fatal Tesla crash that occurred last year. A driver was using the car’s Autopilot system and failed to take control of the vehicle despite numerous warnings, touching the steering wheel for just 25 seconds during 37 minutes of driving. The car hit a truck that its sensors failed to spot.

Read more of the original article at MIT Technology Review.

The post Are Semi-Autonomous Cars Making Us Worse Drivers? appeared first on Fleet Management Weekly.

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