Flutterby™! : IIHS on drivers & L2 cruise control

New IIHS Study Confirms What We Suspected About Tesla’s Autopilot And Other Level 2 Driver Assist Systems: People Are Dangerously Confused

Being right about something occasionally is fun, and gives you a little dopamine rush of pleasure, a pleasure that I personally encounter extremely rarely. I feel like I’m right about something today, so mark your calendars, but it’s not something I’m actually pleased to be right about: People both don’t understand and aren’t using Level 2 (L2) semi-automated driving assist systems well or safely. I’m being bold and saying I’m right about my thoughts on this – which I’ve been ranting about for quite a while – because a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just dropped, and it comes to essentially the same conclusions: Significant percentages of people who have cars with L2 semi-automated driver assist systems overestimate the capabilities of the systems, and as a result use them in potentially dangerous ways. With these systems becoming more and more common, it’s time we addressed this bluntly and honestly.