Opinion: The driver is still key to road safety | Day 4

By Simon Turner, engagement manager, Driving For Better Business

As vehicles incorporate more advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), we must educate drivers about how these technologies work, their purpose, limitations and outcomes. Without a sound understanding of the way in which these technologies work, and why they are important, we will not see the potential road safety benefits.

Early reports, such as Drivetech’s ADAS – advance or distraction? showed polarised views about driver assistance technologies among drivers, with some becoming over-confident and others dismissing or disabling these aids.

Giving people safety aids does not always produce the result we want, not least because people are… well, people. Often when we make people feel safer during a task, they become less vigilant or careful because they perceive the risk to be lower. This is known as risk compensation.

For instance, drivers passing a bicycle ridden by a small child are likely to give more space than if they pass an adult male cyclist in racing gear and a helmet – because they perceive the child to be at greater risk. In fact any cyclist can be at serious risk through close passing.

So it is with some of the effects of autonomous emergency braking systems, and potentially pedestrian/hazard warning systems.

There is also evidence that drivers surrounded with assistance technology devote less mental energy to the task of driving, but then engage in higher levels of distraction. This is a double whammy – they have lower situational awareness, because they are not being as vigilant about road events, and active distraction means their brain they cannot process what they do see.

Some ADAS features can be turned off by the driver, and this will not necessarily be apparent to a fleet manager.

Driver assistance technologies can help to prevent collision and they are both a legislative reality and a huge opportunity. However, we need to teach drivers how to use them, and what the technologies cannot do. For instance, autonomous braking systems are trained to recognise the typical rear end of a vehicle directly in front. They are unlikely to recognise a vehicle slewed across a lane, or a rear end which does not look typical, such as an abnormal load, or bicycles secured to rear doors.

It also won’t be able to predict or react to the sudden emergence of a vehicle from a side road or slip lane. The radar and camera sensors can also be confused by shifting light patterns or heavy weather.

With most autonomous braking systems, if the driver appears to take control in any proactive way, such as touching the brake or adjusting steering, the system stands down.

The most important lesson for drivers, therefore, is that they must remember that they are still the brain behind the wheel, and they cannot abnegate responsibility at any time to computerised systems. They must remain focused, risk-averse, and in control at all times.

Drivers will also need education before safely driving electric vehicles (EVs). Although many people report that EVs are very easy to drive, some fleet managers have observed they are very hard to drive well.

The vehicle is heavier for a start, with the potential to do far more damage on impact. The extra weight also means they will take longer to stop or reduce speed. Speed reduction is not linear in any vehicle. If two identical vehicles, one doing 70 and one doing 100mph brake at the same moment, the second car will still be doing 70mph when the first comes to a halt.

This knowledge is especially important for EV users, because electric vehicles have linear torque and so most pull away very quickly. This fast take-off creates greater risk at junctions.

Much of the engine noise and ‘feedback’ drivers receive from ICE vehicles is missing with EVs and this means that it is harder for drivers to judge speed except by looking at the in-cab display.

Our vehicles are better engineered and potentially safer than ever, but drivers need to be well trained, and consistently alert to reap the benefits.