Could Honda's autopilot zonk drivers
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2006-02-19
Honda has launched a car with the equivalent of autopilot in the UK, but could the technology put drivers to sleep?
The new Honda Accord with the Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) automatically accelerates and decelerates, and can steer around bends. It also has a feature that keeps a car in its lane.
However, if renowned risk-psychologist Gerald Wilde's Target Risk theory comes into play the technology could be a safety negative rather than a plus.
Professor Wilde's Risk Homeostasis Theory (RHT) is now widely accepted in psychology circles and it postulates that any technology designed to make drivers safer also has to potential to coax them into riskier behavior.
Honda recognizes the problem, but its new Accord with the ADAS system is scheduled to go on sale in March and all Hondas may have the technology by 2016. The March '06 version will cost 25,880 pounds (US$46,500).
The technology is somewhat similar to the autopilot technology that was introduced into airplanes back in the 1970s and 1980s, says Graham Avent, a spokesperson for Honda UK, but he warns that, when the ADAS system is switched on, drivers cannot simply ignore what's happening.
Just as pilots can who put planes into autopilot mode are still in charge of the plane, says Avent, drivers with ADAS are still in charge of their cars and must pay attention.
The ADAS system has two main components: a radar-based cruise control and a lane-assist technology.
"The Adaptive Cruise Control is a millimeter-wave radar sensor behind the Honda badge on the front of the car to scan ahead for other vehicles," Avent explains. "The cruise control then speeds up or slows down accordingly."
The driver presets the cruise control, but if a car pulls into the space in front of the ADAS car, the cruise control will slow the car down.
The ADAS system also includes a Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) which features a camera mounted next to the rear-view mirror that watches the white lines and controls steering.
"When you combine the ADAS system with intelligent traffic-monitoring technology and GPS mapping, you really have a very advanced car," says Avent.
"But no car manufacturer is then going to go out and say that such a car can drive itself, as we don't want to give the wrong message to drivers."
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