Testing finds flaws with autos’ electronic safety systems
UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 7, 2018, 6:50 p.m.

DETROIT – Cars and trucks with electronic driver assist systems may not see stopped vehicles and could even steer you into a crash if you’re not paying attention, an insurance industry group warns.
Yet when the adaptive cruise control, which keeps a set distance from cars in front, is activated, the Teslas braked earlier and gentler and avoided the balloon, the agency said.
On the road, the institute’s engineers found all vehicles but Tesla’s Model 3 failed to respond to stopped vehicles ahead of them, the institute said.
The systems tested – in the Teslas, BMW’s 5-Series, the Volvo S-90 and the Mercedes E-Class – are among the best in the business right now and have been rated “superior” in previous IIHS tests. Zuby said the systems do increase safety but the tests show they are not 100 percent reliable.
Many of the scenarios discovered by IIHS are covered in the vehicles’ owner’s manuals, which tell drivers they must pay attention. But Zuby said not many people read their owner’s manuals in detail. Even though the systems have names like Tesla’s “Autopilot” or Volvo’s “Pilot Assist,” they are not self-driving vehicles, Zuby said.
Many of the cars’ lane-centering systems failed, especially on curves or hills. The BMW, Model S and Volvo “steered toward or across the lane line regularly,” requiring driver intervention, the IIHS said.
Messages were left Monday seeking comment from the automakers.
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