wants to take on Tesla. The company seriously started its EV transition with the 2021 Mustang Mach-E, and hopes its upcoming F-150 Lightning will take the EV market by storm.
But electric powertrains aren’t the only race people see Tesla leading. Its
and Full Self-Driving systems have impressed drivers with their capabilities. Other companies have upgraded their driver assist technology to try and keep up, Ford included.
But Tesla’s new tech introductions haven’t been without their hiccups. Regulators are on the company’s case regarding the ability of these systems to keep drivers focused and engaged. Does Ford do a better job of keeping your attention on the road?
First off, how do driver monitoring systems work in today’s cars?
You can’t buy fully autonomous cars yet. No matter what Tesla calls its software, all the systems in today’s cars that can handle driving decisions on their own still require a human behind the wheel, ready to take over at a moment’s notice.
The problem arises when people don’t treat these adaptive cruise control systems this way. Even before the level of autonomy vehicles can have today, distracted driving was already a serious problem.
Now that some cars can make most maneuvers themselves, automakers need to actively alert drivers to keep them engaged in controlling their vehicles. Driver monitoring systems use interior cameras to keep an eye on drivers and bring their attention back to the task at hand.
Ford monitors drivers’ attention better than Tesla, Consumer Reports says
(CR), not all these systems function equally. Of the five brands that offer the technology, only two of them met the watchdog’s standards for effectiveness. Ford’s BlueCruise was one of them. Tesla’s AutoPilot was not.
AutoPilot stayed engaged even when the interior camera was completely covered. As long as the driver kept their hands on the wheel, the car continued to drive itself. The camera seemed to be for show.
, on the other hand, had a three-phase process to get its driver’s attention. After five seconds without eye contact, audio and visual alerts turned on. If the driver didn’t respond, the vehicle tapped the brakes, as if to wake the driver. If that didn’t work, it pulled itself over.
How driver monitoring systems impact car insurance
in a big way. While some providers might factor the cost of repairing expensive gadgetry into their policies, the financial benefits usually outweigh the increases—if the technology works.
As vehicles become more autonomous, insurance providers will be forced to adapt to the resulting changes in liability. Providers and regulators are still trying to figure out who should be held responsible if an autonomous vehicle causes an accident. We still don’t have an answer.
But no matter how car insurance changes in the next few years,
will get you access to the best prices for coverage. A licensed broker, Jerry can source quotes from more than 50 top insurance companies, like Travelers, Nationwide, and Progressive, in seconds!
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