The Dark Side of ADAS: Complacency and Skill Atrophy
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Every technology has its bright and dark sides! ADAS is no different! ADAS make cars safer but at the same time, this system also makes drivers ignorant enough to hone basic driving skills. In short, ADAS has been called out for making drivers complacent or develop driving skill atrophy.
ADAS Can Degrade Driver Skills!
And the above statement holds water when one pays attention to the sections below.
Drivers Become Complacent
ADAS-equipped vehicles, irrespective of the level, make drivers complacent as they increasingly start relying on the driving assistance system for even the basic corrections any skilled driver would make to safely drive their vehicle.
For instance, back in the day when features like Adaptive Cruise Control was not there, drivers had to train their feet to remain ‘locked’ at a certain angle so that the throttle body of their vehicle would remain open at a fixed angle for a long time. This is not the case anymore. Even veteran drivers now do not even try to keep the speed of their vehicle steady manually. Instead they would turn to Adaptive Cruise Control to keep their vehicle at a safe distance from other motorists while cruising the freeways. This, in turn, will leave little room for complacent drivers to react like a pro when a complex situation arises during commutes!
Driving Skill Atrophy Is A Natural Outcome
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are slowly but surely robbing drivers of the simple joys of unassisted driving. For instance, parallel parking your car without turning your head 180 degrees and taking help of only the side as well as the internal rear view mirrors, was a driving skill, that when honed, would garner you respect among your peers. These days however, people get out of their car, tap on ‘park assist’ and then the car parks itself! Unexciting, honestly! Especially when one looks at this scenario from an automobile enthusiast’s point of view!
Multiple Modes Lead To Confusion!
ADAS is an umbrella term for all the features it enables in a modern day car such as Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) – which constantly nudges you back to your lane in a bid to keep other motorists safe is somewhat easy to understand or get used to. But when you are being constantly monitored or shamed with the different types of alerts (audible, haptic, visual), it is natural for you to feel overwhelmed and lose your focus from the road – which ultimately might lead to an avoidable accident!
But ADAS is Necessary!
Despite the ‘dark sides’ mentioned above, ADAS is still one of the most important automotive technology invented, adopted and implemented till date!
Why?
That’s due to the following reasons.
ADAS Helps Minimize Human Error-Induced Accidents
Humans tend to lose focus when they are stuck in a situation that involves doing an activity for a long time. Hence, road mishaps are almost always the results of human error. With the help of ADAS features like Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Monitoring, etc. countless lives have been saved since the technology was introduced worldwide.
ADAS Helps Reduce Driver Fatigue
Unlike passive monitoring systems, ADAS actively reduces the cognitive load on drivers so that they can stay less fatigued and it is no news that an alert driver, drives safe!
ADAS Helps Standardize Vehicular Safety
Just like the fact that car GPS trackers have significantly standardized passive vehicle safety and driver safety, ADAS has helped build the foundation for car makers to follow the minimum safety standards for the global automotive sector!
ADAS: The Double-Edged Sword?
Well, yes! ADAS can increase the risk of drivers losing the efficacy of their skills overtime due to excessive reliance on electronic nannies. At the same time, ADAS is also instrumental in reducing the number of road accidents. Hence, ADAS can be categorized as a double-edged sword! The key to being a skilled driver even in this age of ADAS is to understand it is an assistance tool, and not an autonomy tool. Drivers should remain alert even while driving a vehicle with level 4 ADAS! This is the only way to maximize safety and minimize complacency!