I have a number of minor car-related crusades that I keep simmering on the stove of my overworked mind, and one that I’ve been cooking for a long time is the idea that, to date, no major automaker has produced a semi-automated driver-assistance system, when faced with a driver who doesn’t… Responds to prompts to stay alert or pay attention to the driving task, is able to physically exit an active traffic lane and safely stop on the side of the road. All systems up to this point, as far as I know, simply turn on the hazard lights and make a controlled stop in the active lane of traffic, which I feel is a terrible idea.
I know a lot of people assume that current systems will actually do this, but the truth is that they don’t. I’ve been hearing this for years, especially about Tesla cars, so much so that in 2021, I’m actually hearing it I arranged for a Tesla Model 3 using Autopilot to test this theory Proving this, certainly, when the autopilot finds that the driver does not respond to prompts to take the wheel, it immediately stops on the road. It’s not great.
Of course, that was three years ago; I checked the Tesla owner’s manual online To see if this has changed for Autopilot or FSD, and it doesn’t seem to be any different:
There’s no mention of changing lanes or going off the road; They appear to be the same hazard lights, slow down and stop there in the active lane of traffic that Tesla — and, in fact, every other automaker — has been using since it began working with semi-automated driver-assistance systems. It was never good enough, and I’m always amazed that this is considered good, because it really isn’t.
But now something seems different! Looks like the automaker is starting to pay attention! I say this because I saw this video from Volkswagen, about the latest version of the emergency assistance system:
Hot damn, look at that! This appears to be the first actual, clear and obvious indication of the driver assistance system dealing with an unresponsive driver by moving them out of the road.
The emergency assistance system that VW is offering appears to be a kind of inverted Level 2 system, a concept I’ve championed for a while, where the driver drives normally, in complete control, but the car’s sensors and computers are watching all the time, and on… Willingness to intervene if necessary. This is the opposite of other Level 2 systems like Tesla Autopilot or FSD (supervision), where the car does most of the driving task while the human driver watches it (constantly, in theory, and unfortunately often less so in practice), although Volkswagen’s method of running the car off the damned road when the driver doesn’t respond will work with either configuration.
This should not be confused with the ability of semi-automated cars to change lanes and exit lanes of active traffic as needed in the driving process; For example, recently, a Tesla using Autopilot saved a pedestrian by changing lanes into oncoming traffic and hitting another car, while avoiding the pedestrian:
That’s impressive, but it’s not the same thing. In this example, the vehicle was making an emergency lane change in response to a driving situation. The system demonstrated by VW was a planned set of automated lane changes that would place the car on the edge of the road, then stop when an unresponsive driver was detected. Very different situations.
What I don’t understand is why this takes so long to implement; The technology to do this has been around for years, and while there are all kinds of conditions that can affect this work – poor lane markings, weather conditions, whether or not a shoulder is viable, and many others – this is undoubtedly something worth doing.
VW appears to have been developing this system, surprisingly quietly, for a number of years; In 2019, the VW Arteon appeared, among other cars, He had a similar system that would change lanes, at least enter the slow lanebefore stopping, even if you are not trying to get off the road completely.
The new emergency assistance system takes this even further. According to the video from Volkswagen, when the car suspects an unresponsive driver, due to an apparent lack of steering input, it applies the brakes and tightens the seatbelt in an attempt to wake the driver, all while emitting annoying beeps. Once you’re out of the way, they unlock the doors, turn on the interior lights, and call emergency services, a series of actions that can either help save your life or contribute to truly embarrassing you. Maybe both.
but! The point here is that this is the first time I’ve seen an OEM offer a car that goes off the road and comes to a stop on the side of the road or on the shoulder in a controlled manner, and that’s a pretty big deal. I really hope this is the beginning of what will become the industry standard for dealing with unresponsive drivers in every possible context, because that’s just the way it is. He should Must be done. Don’t just stop and hope someone cresting the hill on the highway at 75 mph will see you, that puts the car and the people in it out of harm’s way.
Good job, Volkswagen. Now, others, start copying.
