The advanced systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel while going down the road will be scrutinized again by federal investigators on Tuesday in connection with two fatal crashes involving Ford’s Blue Cruise system.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to recommend ways to improve these partially automated driving systems as it wraps up its investigation into the 2024 crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania that killed three people when the Ford Mustang Mach-E cars slammed into vehicles that were stopped.
The NTSB has previously investigated a number of other crashes involving similar systems, including Tesla’s autopilot system.
Ford and other automakers emphasize that these systems are not designed to replace the human drivers sitting behind the wheel, who have to be ready to take control at any time. The NTSB has said their investigation is examining the effectiveness of these systems and how well they monitor driver engagement.
But Missy Cummings, a professor of engineering and computing at George Mason University, said these crashes highlight some of the dangers of partially autonomous driving systems that allow people to disengage.
NTSB Examines Ford Hands-Free System in Fatal Crashes | Newsmax.com
