Driver-assist systems that lack user-friendliness not only cause frustration, but may diminish the system’s safety benefits, according to Consumer Reports. People confused by their driver-assist features might disregard them altogether.
“If they are not enjoyable to use in the car, if they’re beeping at you incessantly, if they’re doing things that are unexpected or confusing and you don’t know why it’s doing that, or how it’s doing that, then not only is it confusing, but it can be annoying and frustrating,” says Kelly Funkhouser, manager of vehicle technology at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center.
In 2021, CR surveyed 35,250 owners of vehicles made in the 2015-22 model years. The survey focused on adaptive cruise control; blind-spot warning; forward-collision warning; automatic emergency braking; and lane-departure warning; lane-keeping, and lane-centring assistance systems.
Rear crashes decrease by half in vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warnings, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Transportation and automakers. But CR’s Funkhouser says difficult-to-use safety systems may hinder safe driving; unexpected beeping or unfamiliar symbols may distract a driver. A bad experience may cause the driver to disable the system.
Automakers should simplify and personalize the ADAS experience, according to Consumer Reports’ guidelines. The system’s name should be consistent throughout the vehicle, including the window sticker; manual, and vehicle display, as well as online and in marketing tools. The variety in system names comes down to branding and marketing, Funkhouser says, adding that automakers want their systems to stand out among their competitors.
The report said anywhere between eight and forty unique terms may exist for a given type of system. In many instances, many drivers aren’t confident in how their systems work, the report said. For example, Consumer Reports found only 48 per cent of owners with vehicles equipped with forward-collision warning say they understand how it works, and just 42 per cent of owners of vehicles understand their vehicle’s automatic emergency braking. That is why Consumer Reports and other safety advocates have created the “Clearing the Confusion initiative”, which recommends a list of standard names designed to help consumers understand safety systems.
