“We need to think about the whole picture of keeping people safe,” says State Farm Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Research Laurel Straub. “While the conversation about the future of mobility focuses a lot on autonomous vehicles, people are using many modes of transportation today. As technology advances, we’re advancing right along with it to reduce the number of deaths caused by human error.”

The conversation involves many entities – public and private – coming together to understand the issues, collaborate on solutions and use resources wisely. State Farm is uniquely positioned to bring everyone to the table. As the nation’s largest P&C insurer, it covers the movement of goods, the individuals who move those goods and the vehicles who transport those goods.

“The intent is to start identifying the key public policy issues in the mobility and transportation space,” said Ryan Gammelgard, State Farm Public Policy Counsel. “We’re excited to convene and continue these conversations in order to create a framework that propels the transportation industry forward.”

Helping Illinois Build the Framework

Recently, one such event was held -- Framing the Future of Mobility for Illinois. Organized by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Illinois Autonomous Vehicles Association (ILAVA), more than 100 stakeholders attended at State Farm in Bloomington, IL.

“Technology is transforming mobility in exponential ways,” said Jerry Quandt, Executive Director, ILAVA. “Because many areas depend on mobility – including agribusiness, energy, information technology, manufacturing, transportation and logistics and small business, this topic is bigger than transportation. Innovation in mobility is an economic driver for our state, enabling industries and elevating citizens' quality of life. To make it work, there needs to be cooperation among public, private and academic entities.”

Mobility and Transportation at State Farm:

State Farm was founded on the revolutionary idea that farmers should have different rates of insurance than city drivers due to different risk. To advance safely into the future, State Farm teams up with many entities -- research, ongoing alliances with leading universities, car manufacturers and government bodies. This includes collaborating with the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to test vehicle automation. Known as Mcity, the research conducted helps stakeholders understand the benefits and risks of connected and automated vehicles.

For More Information:

• Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) - Self-Driving Cars and Insurance
• 2019 Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) Report: The States’ Voice on Highway Safety
• State Farm Auto Relationships
• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
• Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)
• Illinois Autonomous Vehicles Association (ILAVA)

While these features have promising safety benefits,  they are designed to work in conjunction with engaged driving behaviors.

Forty-two percent of drivers with Lane Keeping Assist tech stated they “frequently” or “sometimes” use video chat while driving compared to 20 percent who engaged in the risky behavior without the advanced technology.

Survey data breakdown by distracted behavior and advanced vehicle technology:

“Innovations such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist are designed to make our roadways safer,” said Laurel Straub, State Farm Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Research. “These systems are meant to assist drivers, not replace them.”

When will the car drive itself?

Not any time soon. There will have to be more tech advances before we see fully automated vehicles on our roadways.

The highest level of automation available on the consumer market today is Level Two. At this level, the vehicle can control steering, braking, and accelerating in certain scenarios. Only a subset of new vehicles sold to the general public today are equipped with Level Two features. However, the human driver MUST pay attention at all times and still perform the remainder of the driving. (NHTSA)

Two of those features, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) were explored in this survey. ACC, in certain situations, enables your vehicle to automatically adjust its speed to maintain a specific distance behind another vehicle. LKA, in certain situations, enables your vehicle to automatically steer within your lane.

“Advances in vehicle technology are occurring rapidly,” Straub continued. “Even with these technologies in place, it’s important for drivers to pay attention when behind the wheel.”

Half of all respondents also said they would be willing to take their eyes off the road for less than five seconds to focus on another task. All while driving on an open highway at 65 mph. At that speed, you can drive the length of a football field in 3.2 seconds. Anything can happen in 100 yards.

11 tips on how to be as smart as your smart car while you drive

1. Do not read or send text messages
2. Do not update social media
3. Do not access the internet
4. Do not talk on the phone unless it's connected to the car audio
5. Do not check or send emails
6. Do not take selfies or film videos
7. Do not enter destinations into GPS while the car is moving
8. Keep your phone out of reach (glove compartment, purse, etc.). Pull over and park in a safe location if it is necessary to use your phone.
9. Ask your passenger to make a call or text for you.
10. Set your phone to send an automatic reply while you are driving.
11. Do nothing that takes your attention away from your number one task -- driving safe.

Still fighting the urge to pick up your phone while driving?  Apps like State Farm Drive Safe & Save are designed to help you improve your driving habits. 

Because human error is the cause of the large majority of car crashes, autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to greatly improve safety. In the near future, however, there will continue to be crashes involving AVs as they share the road with vehicles driven by humans.

A new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, Preparing for Automated Vehicles: Traffic Safety Issues for States, finds that most AVs for the foreseeable future will share driving responsibility with humans. Drivers will still exert significant control and will be able to change their vehicle’s level of automation, just as drivers today can activate or deactivate cruise control.

Automated vehicles will bring new traffic safety issues to the states. This report suggests how law enforcement and state highway offices should prepare for them.

“Many people are unconvinced of the safety benefits of AVs and unwilling to share the road or to ride in them,” said Ryan Gammelgard, Counsel at State Farm®. “However, research suggests that public enthusiasm and support will grow as people learn more about AVs and are able to experience them first-hand, and if there is objective proof that the technology operates better than humans.”

The report was authored by Dr. Jim Hedlund, a former senior official with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and funded by State Farm.

The full report is available here.

In September 2016, State Farm worked with Bloomberg Government to measure the public’s perceptions of driverless cars. The results were presented at Bloomberg's Next Tech event in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 15, 2016. Strategic Resources Director Chris Mullen represented State Farm on the panel.

Click links in the left navigation bar to download a full survey report and Bloomberg content.

About the survey - Bloomberg Govenment conducted the survey on behalf of State Farm to:

• Establish a better understanding of the general public’s attitudes and expectations around the acceptance of automated vehicle technologies.
• Gain a better understanding of the public’s impressions of these technologies and the knowledge gaps that may exist around their use.
• Focus on how this new technology will impact consumer behavior, with a spotlight on safety.

Key Findings

• Between 30-40% would definitely consider riding in a vehicle with autonomous/self driving capabilities…if:
  • The vehicle was in an area with few or no other vehicles
  • In low speed areas
  • For very short rides, under 10 minutes
• While some are willing to try, most are not completely at ease with the concept.
  • Less than 20% would definitely consider riding in an autonomous vehicle in heavily congested or high speed areas (65 mph+).
  • Respondents said they would be most comfortable with autonomous/self-driving vehicles that they own or lease.
  • There is less comfort with autonomous/self-driving buses, shuttles, taxis or ride sharing services (Uber, Lyft, etc.) compared to other autonomous/self-driving vehicles.
  • Autonomous vehicles are not yet considered a solution for those unable to drive.
  • This is particularly true of those too young to drive – only 14% are very comfortable with sending younger (non-drivers) in an autonomous vehicle.
• Respondents consider it slightly more acceptable to have the physically disabled or the elderly travel in this manner.
• Over half are very concerned about the possibility of dangerous outcomes due to autonomous/self-driving vehicles such as:
  • Computer system malfunctions, especially if they cause the vehicle to crash
  • The potential for hacking, taking over the vehicle
  • Sensors not operating optimally in certain weather conditions or at night
• Only about a third believe these dangerous outcomes are very likely to occur
• There are a number of potential benefits that make autonomous vehicles attractive, including the possibility of:
  • Lower accident rates
  • Lower insurance rates
  • Being able to travel while drowsy
  • Reduced traffic congestion
• Demographics are best at explaining comfort with autonomous vehicles. Those most predisposed toward autonomous vehicles tend to be:
  • Male
  • Under the age of 40
  • Have a college degree
• The amount of time an individual spends in a vehicle is also positively related to interest. However, those that are rarely passengers are LESS interested in trying an autonomous vehicle.
• Seeing an autonomous/self-driving vehicle operate first hand and/or being exposed to research demonstrating their safety will go a long way toward appeasing consumer concerns.

Bloomington, Ill., August 31, 2016 – It appears that semi-autonomous cars may not always be carrying a driver who’s alert and ready to take over control of the vehicle if necessary, according to a new survey from State Farm®.

State Farm conducted the survey to examine drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and potential behaviors regarding autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. This survey was the second iteration of a study first conducted in September 2013.

Autonomous cars can drive themselves without any human involvement. Semi-autonomous cars include automated features but may still require human operators in some circumstances.

The survey asked drivers how much more, or less, likely they would be to engage in certain behaviors when a semi-autonomous vehicle is driving itself compared to when they are driving the vehicle. Knowing that there may be circumstances where the driver may need to take over control a semi-autonomous car, survey respondents said they would more likely be:

• Eating – 48 percent
• Reading texts – 45 percent
• Sending texts – 43 percent
• Taking pictures – 36 percent
• Accessing the internet – 36 percent
• Tending to children – 32 percent
• Recording videos – 26 percent
• Watching movies – 21 percent
• Reading a book – 19 percent

The survey findings were released during a presentation yesterday at the annual meeting of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “Drivers need to be aware that there may be unexpected and critical situations when they will need to be in full control of their semi-autonomous car,” said presenter Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm. “This survey shows that people want to do things other than drive during their trips; there is a need for education so that consumers understand the capabilities and potential limitations of their automated systems, and what’s required of the driver.”

Additional findings: more awareness and more confidence in technology.

Compared to three years ago, considerably more drivers have heard of self-driving vehicles. And though they did not show an increased interest in purchasing a fully automated car, compared to three years ago consumers are more confident in the ability of self-driving cars to navigate safely on their own.

Although wide use of autonomous vehicles is years away, cars with some automated features are already available, and most survey respondents are knowledgeable about those features.

Consumers most want automated backup assistance and drowsy driving detection.

Respondents were provided with a description of technologies that included backup assistance, parking assistance, adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, lane departure assistance, automated braking and drowsy driver detection. While they were at least somewhat familiar with them all, the features they were most interested in were backup assistance and drowsy driving detection.

They see that vehicle-to-vehicle technology can improve safety.

Vehicle-to-vehicle technology allows the car to communicate with other nearby vehicles. Roughly half of respondents think vehicle-to-vehicle technology would be useful in increasing safety and would be interested in having a car with this technology.

Full report

Click for a copy of the full survey findings.

Methodology

In September 2013 and June 2016, the State Farm Strategic Resources Department used an outside panel vendor to conduct an online survey of U.S. consumers ages 18+. Survey responses were received from approximately 1,000 consumers each year, who identified themselves as having some insurance and financial responsibility for their household. Of the total respondents, only those who reported having a valid driver’s license were used in the analyses in this report.

Read this story on the Wall Street Journal Moneybeat Blog.