What is Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving technology and why is it being investigated by US regulators?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into another hands-free driving technology, Ford’s BlueCruise.
Hands-free driving technology is becoming more common on US roads with most major automakers offering it as an option or a subscription feature. While these advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel, users are still expected to keep their eyes on the road and be able to take over at any time.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced last week that it was opening a new investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot feature, which technically is not a hands-free driving system as drivers are expected to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. The government regulator wants to assess if the electric vehicle manufacturer did enough to address safety concerns with recall fix to the Autopilot driver assistance system in December prompted by an earlier investigation.
On Monday, the NHTSA announced that it is starting a probe into Ford Motor’s hands-free driving technology BlueCruise.
Why is Ford’s BlueCruise being investigated by US regulators?
The investigation by the federal watchdog is the result of two fatal crashes that occurred this year. They include one in San Antonio on 24 February and another in Philadelphia on 3 March. Both involved Ford Mach-E electric SUVs and each crash resulted in at least one fatality.
The NHTSA investigation will be looking at 130,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles from model years 2021-2024 as part of the first step in the probe. The agency will determine if the vehicles pose an unreasonable risk to safety on the road.
The hands-free driving system BlueCruise was in use just prior to the collisions with parked vehicles which happened during “nighttime lighting conditions,” according to the agency. Reuters reports that Ford has said that it is cooperating with the NHTSA to support the investigation.
What is Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving technology?
Ford’s hands-free driving technology uses cameras and sensors along with detailed map data to keep the vehicle in its lane. BlueCruise can also adjust the vehicle’s speed in order to keep it a safe distance from vehicles in front and in adjacent lanes.
When a driver engages BlueCruise, they can take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the pedals. However, there is a driver-facing camera that “alerts you if you stop paying attention to the road, even if just for a few seconds” says the company website.
According to the carmaker it can be used on “97% of controlled-access highways across the US and Canada,” which are without intersections or traffic signals. The majority of those that it can operate on are in the US though. Ford promotes BlueCruise as an aid to “reduce stress on your ride and arrive energized” as well as having the chance to “connect with your passengers” and/or “enjoy the scenery in front of you,” as some of the technology’s benefits.