Now that cars with driver assistance technologies have been on the road for a number of years, it is possible to collect crash data to see whether such features actually help prevent accidents. According to an analysis of crash data by the Insurance Institute for Road Safetythe answer is actually no.
The study looked at data collected by the Highway Loss Data Institute of Nissan And BMW vehicles from 2013 to 2022. Both brands have a significant number of vehicles equipped with partially autonomous driving functions: ProPilot for Nissan and Driving Assistant Plus for BMW. IIHS found that the presence of features such as lane departure and lane centering did not result in a statistically significant reduction in collisions.
Cars equipped with these features usually also have an automatic emergency braking function brakesThe IIHS classifies AEB as a collision avoidance function, and not as a partially autonomous function.
In contrast, the study found that cars equipped with AEB showed a significant reduction in insurance Liability claims, claims where other drivers’ property is damaged. For example, 2017-19 Nissan Rogues equipped with forward collision warnings had a 49% lower rate of rear-end crashes. If the Rogue was also equipped with AEB and ACC, the rate dropped 54%.
More broadly, Nissans equipped with AEB saw an 8% drop in liability claims, while BMW and Mini vehicles equipped with AEB saw a 13% drop in 2013-17. The data did not allow the IIHS to isolate BMW and Mini rear-end crashes.
“Given the lack of clear evidence that partial automation prevents crashes, users and regulators should not confuse it with a safety feature,” warned Jessica Cicchino, senior vice president of research at IIHS. In fact, the IIHS warns that such features “can encourage a false sense of security and cause boredom, which can disengage drivers.”
That’s why IIHS Chairman David Harkey said partially autonomous features should be viewed as conveniences, like power windows or heated seats, and not as safety features.