Roadside assistants have been mandatory in all new cars sold within the EU since 7 July 2024, but this is false security, new research shows.
It should not be confused with a security feature!
So clear in the spit is a new American investigation from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when it comes to roadway assistants in passenger cars
Since 7 July 2024, the EU has otherwise required that all new cars sold within the union's borders must be equipped with exactly a lane assistant.
But that doesn't mean that drivers can just sit back and let the car take control. On the contrary, it is an expression of a kind of false security if you blindly trust that a roadside assistant can do quite a lot.
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"Everything we've seen shows us that partially automated cruise control is a comfort feature, similar to electrically adjustable seats or heated seats, rather than a safety technology," said David Harkey, president of the IIHS.
The people behind the investigation have taken a closer look at two slightly older systems. Namely in BMW models of 2013–2017 and in Nissan models of 2017–2019.
In the case of the BMWs, no evidence was found that the lane assist reduces the number of accidents if/when the system cannot keep the car in the lane.
In the tested Nissan models, fewer accidents were indeed noted with the lane assistant switched on. But the same is also the case at low speeds, where the system does not work because there is a car in front.
Therefore, it is something else that prevented the accidents that could otherwise have occurred along the way. For the same reason, the IIHS encourages drivers not to blindly trust such systems.
In a car where only lane assist is on, there is no excuse to take your attention off the road.
– Motorists and legislators should not confuse the system with a safety function, says Jessica Cicchino, head of research at IIHS.
But there are actually cars in which you can legally remove your hands from the steering wheel and let the car 'steer' itself. Ford has approved the so-called Bluecruise in 15 European countries – including Denmark. The system is 'self-grained' at level 2 out of 5. Read more about it here .
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