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Manufacturer telemetry systems, which can track both crash events and ADAS usage, are likely to play a pivotal role in understanding the performance of driving automation technology.

Crash assessments of L2 technology

In addition to driver-centric, non-crash studies, the growing number of on-road miles for L2 technologies means real-world crash data are becoming increasingly viable as a means of assessing safety performance. These data are playing a key role in helping industry understand the potential implications of L2 ADAS, with important takeaways for how they influence crash rates.

Crash studies for L2 ADAS fall into two categories: 

1. Use/non-use studies, which compare crash rates for the same vehicles when they are or are not using L2 technology
2. Equip/non-equip studies, which compare crash rates for vehicles with and without L2 systems installed 

Equip/non-equip studies do not include any information regarding the actual use of L2 systems, which may limit their usefulness in estimating the magnitude of beneficial effects for relevant technologies. In the case of use/non-use studies, publicly available crash databases generally do not contain sufficient information to determine mileage with the systems engaged or whether an L2 system was in use at the time of a crash, in addition to other important contextual information.

Use/non-use field analyses of L2 systems to date have depended on manufacturer-provided data, particularly miles driven and crash events with the systems engaged. Studies have been published using telemetry data from and to assess the effect of their L2 systems on crash rates. One of the challenges addressed by both studies is that the "road mix" (e.g., highway versus surface street driving) for L2 systems differs from the typical driving mix of the general public. Consequently, these studies attempt to develop comparable crash rates, either through mathematical adjustment or by only considering mileage and crashes occurring on particular roads. 

Future ADAS research and development

Undoubtedly, L2 technologies and emergent L3 systems — including Mercedes-Benz's Drive Pilot and BMW's Personal Pilot, which allow for hands-free and eyes-free driving in specific circumstances — have the potential to influence roadway safety. 

Non-crash assessments represent innovative ways to augment driver behavior data related to L2 systems. However, to date, these studies have not produced conclusive results and may limit insights into real-world system performance. While non-crash ADAS assessments will have an ongoing role, an emphasis on non-crash study quality will be important in analyses of the relationships between this data and real-world driving scenarios, performance, and safety.

Crash assessments have the advantage of directly demonstrating real-world performance, but they are "lagging" indicators that rely on extensive deployment before providing conclusive results. L2 systems also pose new challenges in crash assessment because neither system engagement nor miles with the system engaged are observable using traditional data collection methods such as police reports. In this case, manufacturer telemetry systems, which can track both crash events and ADAS usage, are likely to play a pivotal role in understanding the performance of driving automation technology.

Pairing insightful approaches to data analysis with equally sophisticated methods of measuring and mitigating risks related to how drivers engage with ADAS features can help OEMs and regulators improve road safety through the deployment of these emerging systems.