Fords BlueCruise hands-free driver assist under investigation after two fatal crashes

Table Of Content

• At least 5 companies under Elon Musk’s control billed each other around $9 million in expenses
• How Super Cruise performs
• This week’s wheels
• SixThreeZero Electric Rickshaw review: This fun e-bike can carry an entire family!
• Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist under investigation after two fatal crashes
• Driver of electric Ford SUV was using automated system before fatal Texas crash, investigators say

The federal government requires companies to report instances of crashes involving advanced driver assist, but there is currently no law prohibiting hands-free driving systems. Most companies put the legal liability on the driver when it comes to crashes involving these systems, arguing that they still need to pay attention to the road when the driver assist is engaged. But Tesla recently settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a man killed when his Autopilot-equipped vehicle crashed into a concrete divider. Both NHTSA and the NTSB have investigated multiple previous crashes involving partially automated driving systems, most involving Tesla’s Autopilot. In past investigations, the NTSB has examined how the system functioned. But as more BlueCruise-equipped Ford vehicles hit the road, it stands to reason there will be more crashes — and more investigations.

At least 5 companies under Elon Musk’s control billed each other around $9 million in expenses

There are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to the public in the US. Last year, General Motors’ Cruise self-driving car unit recalled all 950 of its cars following an accident in which one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. The previous version, the Ford BlueCruise 1.2 system is found to be sensible, but it is ultimately lacking in coverage, and the system has a tendency to abruptly change speeds at times. Given that many major highways are covered in a strict road trip scenario, having Ford BlueCruise enabled might make the bi-yearly trip to Disney slightly less strenuous.

How Super Cruise performs

As the production of cars gets more advanced, throwing down more horsepower and torque than ever before, safety systems also get more advanced. One such push by automakers in recent years is the introduction of driver assistance systems. Super Cruise requests intervention when encountering unusual traffic situations, when exiting the highway and when merging into traffic, or at a stop or intersection, railroad crossing, or pedestrian crossing.

This week’s wheels

Also unlike Tesla's Autopilot, GM and Ford employ a driver-facing camera to monitor eye position and engagement with the road. The monitor for Super Cruise is a tiny camera on the top of the steering column, and the top of the steering wheel itself houses a light bar that's green when active, or pulsing red when it demands driver intervention. For a road trip, the victor would have to go to Ford, even though the technology may not be as capable as Tesla's. Not only will the number of compatible roads go up in the future, but Ford has a better attitude toward safety improvements than Tesla has shown in the past.

People who read this also read

Bridgestone Americas, Universal Motors Agencies and Shikra Limited also participated. Car A comes across car C in unusual situation eg (as in this case) in the middle lane of a large highway, stationary without lights, during hours of darkness. Car A's driver manages (just) to swerve to an adjacent lane avoiding a collision wth car C; car B does not have enogh time to react (due to following car A too closely) and collides with car C. Of all the systems I've tested, including earlier iterations of Tesla's Autopilot, Super Cruise fills dreams of safe, relaxed, open highway cruising. Iterations of Super Cruise with trailering support don't have the automatic lane change function, but do enable Super Cruise to work while towing. Although BlueCruise doesn't make cars autonomous — you can't buy anything close to a self-driving car today — it promises to deliver hands-free driving on massive stretches of North American highways.

Ford's Blue Cruise self-driving tech was in use during fatal crash, NTSB says - TipRanks.com - TipRanks

Ford's Blue Cruise self-driving tech was in use during fatal crash, NTSB says - TipRanks.com.

Posted: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:15:33 GMT [source]

If the system detects the driver's eye or head position away from the road (such as looking down at a phone), the lightbar flashes green for a few seconds and requests the driver to pay attention and tap the steering wheel. If the driver does not pay attention, audible chimes, seat vibrations, and messaging in cluster will appear, before the lightbar flashes red. If there's still no reaction, Super Cruise goes into emergency mode and activates the hazards, applies the brakes to a stop, and alerts emergency services. I found BlueCruise simple enough to switch on behind the wheel of a Mach-E. You just turn on adaptive cruise control using a button on the steering wheel and drive through a Blue Zone.

“Based on data obtained from the vehicle, the driver had been operating the vehicle in BlueCruise mode before the crash,” NTSB states. There are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to the public in the U.S. Another driver who was able to avoid the CR-V told investigators that neither its tail nor hazard lights were working at the time. Base Autopilot is standard on all Teslas, and the Enhanced Autopilot, which includes Smart Summon, automatic lane changes, and navigation features, is a $6,000 option.

Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist under investigation after two fatal crashes

To be clear, there is no such thing as a fully self-driving car on sale today. Super Cruise, Autopilot, and Bluecruise, among others, are considered Level 2, nudging towards Level 3. The other crash involving a Mach E killed two people around 3.20am on 3 March in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. Yoshi Mobility, a Nashville-based startup that developed an app to offer drivers preventative maintenance, virtual vehicle inspections and electric vehicle charging, raised $26 million in a Series C round led by General Motors Ventures.

BlueCruise is Ford’s marquee driver assist system, which enables hands-free driving on some highways. Ford doesn’t promote the system as autonomous driving, and drivers, while allowed to take their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals, are required to keep their eyes peeled at all times and be ready to take control of the car. This is enforced with a driver monitoring system that deactivates BlueCruise if the driver looks to be distracted or sleepy. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an incident involving Ford’s hands-free driver-assist system after a Mustang Mach-E driver crashed into another vehicle in Texas, killing the occupant. A second fatal crash involving a Mach-E took place in Philadelphia, although it’s not known whether the driver-assist system played a role. In practice, they both are an extension of adaptive cruise control with a couple more icons, messages, and warnings mixed in.

The entire driver display turns blue and a steering wheel icon appears with the words "hands-free" beneath it. When the system needs the driver to take over, it clearly states "keep hands on steering wheel" and shows an image of a steering wheel with hands gripping it. Nonetheless, Tesla has the leg up on Ford as far as driver assistance features are concerned.

Ford Expands Europe Hands-Free Driving Availability with BlueCruise Launch in Third Country: Spain - Ford

Ford Expands Europe Hands-Free Driving Availability with BlueCruise Launch in Third Country: Spain.

Posted: Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Bluecruise does not have an auto lane change function yet, but Ford hasn't rolled it out yet. Level 3 essentially means that once the driver initiates the system and sits behind the wheel, the system takes over for the rest of the way without any intervention from the driver, until the system demands. Tesla has emerged as one of the industry leaders in automated driving in recent years, for better or worse. If you are unsure of which model will suit your needs, our sales team can help you figure it out. Your time is valuable, so we've made it easy for you to apply for financing, get a quote for your trade-in, and check the latest factory incentives and lease options online.

Both driver-facing cameras read head and eye position to make sure eyes are on the road. If it detects otherwise, Bluecruise will flash an alert in the instrument cluster that says "Watch the Road," and there may be an audio reminder. If you don't respond to the warning, Bluecruise shuts down and automatically slows the vehicle while maintaining the center lane. In recent testing of GM's Super Cruise in the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado and Ford's Bluecruise in the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, one thing became clear. GM is far ahead of Ford when it comes to limited hands-free driving, which is an evolution of adaptive cruise control.

But it could all be worth it, depending on how much you value making long highway journeys slightly more pleasant and less demanding. For what it's worth, hands-on driver-assist systems already do this wonderfully. Promised BlueCruise updates like expanded Blue Zones and automated lane changes could make the proposition more enticing.