Advanced driver assistance tech in cars today won’t pass IIHS’ new safety rating

Not a single advanced driver assistance system offered in today’s new vehicles would meet pending safety criteria being developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, according to the organization. The nonprofit that is funded by auto insurance companies said Thursday that its new rating program will evaluate the safeguards that vehicles with “partial automation” use to help drivers stay focused on the road.

“Partial automation systems may make long drives seem like less of a burden, but there is no evidence that they make driving safer,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement. “In fact, the opposite may be the case if systems lack adequate safeguards.”

To earn a “good” rating, vehicles will have to have a driver monitoring system that ensures a driver’s eyes are directed at the road and that their hands are either on the wheel or ready to grab at all times, the organization said. These advanced driver assistance systems must also be equipped with alerts that escalate and emergency procedures if a driver continues to ignore them.

The new IIHS ratings will not address other functional aspects of the systems that could also potentially contribute to crashes, such as how well their cameras or radar sensors identify obstacles.