Do you feel like you’re safer in your car if you have assistive technology? More car manufacturers are building these in lately, but it’s not a total replacement for you controlling the car.
A recent study has identified that drivers who are using driver assistance tools often think of them as if the vehicle is completely self-driving. This is a word of caution to anyone who has driver assistance tools in their vehicle not to put too much trust in these technologies as you could face significant risk for severe accidents in California. The study used drivers of three different vehicles with driver assistance systems. They operated Nissan and Infiniti cars, Cadillacs, and Teslas.
The research was carried out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and involved over 600 drivers. Drivers of Cadillac, which includes the driver assist tool, known as super cruise, found that over half of the people felt they were comfortable treating the vehicles as if it was fully self-driving, while using that technology. Car manufacturers have been cautious and repeatedly warned vehicle drivers that they should never depend on any vehicle assistance technology for full operation of the vehicle.
Drivers should always be prepared to step in and take control of the vehicle immediately and at any time. Early adopters of these systems may not have a good understanding of the limits of the technology, putting them and others on the roads at risk of critical or even devastating injuries. Set up a time to meet with a qualified San Francisco personal injury lawyer if you’ve already been hurt in a serious accident.