Driver Assistance Systems Actually Help, Says Driver Assistance Systems Maker Mobileye

A recent test of Intel-owned chipmaker Mobileye's advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), turned up a perhaps unsurprising but happy fact: driving assistance systems do actually seem to work.

The test was conducted in partnership with The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a U.S.-based research entity funded by auto insurers. IIHS reviews road design and traffic regulations, also providing safety ratings for vehicles and vehicle-related consumer products.

As part of the test, 21 IIHS employees had their cars outfitted with Mobileye's collision avoidance system, which helps alert drivers when they come too close to other cars, deviate from lanes without signaling, or come near cyclists and pedestrians.

The system operated in stealth mode—collecting data to establish a baseline but not warning drivers—for four weeks. The systems were then activated in the full for eight weeks.

The conclusion, according to Mobileye? By the end of the two-months-long full-activation period, alerts triggered were down 30% to 70%. Over half the drivers said they found the system helpful when it comes to improving safety, according to the company acquired by chipmaker Intel in 2017.