Level 2 features provide a benefit to the driver by assisting with the driving task and reducing the potential for human error that could result in a crash. However, these systems are not designed to operate independent of the human driver – the driver is ultimately responsible for the driving task. For purposes of this document, Level 2 refers to those automated driving assist features where both lane centering and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) are simultaneously engaged.
Confusion among some consumers regarding their role as a driver of some vehicles equipped with a Level 2 system has resulted in driver complacency, misuse or abuse of Level 2 systems that has, in some cases, resulted in a crash. To help address this concern, the automotive industry has developed vehicle driver monitoring systems that use sensor-based technologies to determine or infer when a driver is not paying sufficient attention to the driving environment.
Automakers may choose, based on the specific attributes of a vehicle’s Level 2 system, to use sensing methods that rely on torque or capacitive sensors or to use camera-based methods.1 There is extensive, ongoing research in the area of driver monitoring. While this important work continues, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation puts forward the following principles to help address important safety aspects for driver monitoring systems for vehicles with Level 2 systems.
