There has been much ado about Tesla drivers failing to understand the limits of their advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), and more specifically Autopilot, but it turns out they aren’t the only ones tempted into the back seats of their vehicles.
The driver of a Peugeot 508 has proven that anyone can be fooled into believing that ADAS systems, such as lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control, amount to an autonomous driving system. Unfortunately, he found out that they do not.
Like most systems, the Peugeot appears to have a pressure sensor to ensure that the driver still has their hands on the steering wheel. Intended to avoid exactly this kind of stunt, the system was nevertheless not well enough designed to outsmart a YouTuber with a water bottle.
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The system behaves pretty much as you’d expect, keeping the car on the road until any complication presents itself, and then fails spectacularly. In this case, the car is confused by an offramp, pulls too far off the road, and, apparently, into a ditch.
From the rear seat, the driver can do nothing but become a pinball bouncing around the interior of the vehicle, presumably injuring himself more than he would have if he’d been belted into any seat.
And while this driver certainly was asking for trouble, the incident is a clear indicator that the automotive industry as a whole hasn’t managed to get the message across to buyers that these systems do not in any way provide autonomous driving. Not to mention, of course, the fact that, despite trying to build in fail safes, they are obviously open to potential misuse. Indeed, a recent report found that almost every American vehicle tested with this type of advanced driver assistance system could be fooled into allowing a driver to get out of their seat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEpVvxKN-WI