Electronic driving systems don't always work, tests show

Testing by AAA shows that electronic driver assist systems on the road today may not keep vehicles in their lanes or spot stationary objects in time to avoid a crash.

The tests brought a warning from the auto club that drivers shouldn't think that the systems make their vehicles self-driving, and that they should always be ready to take control.

AAA also said that use of the word "pilot" by automakers in naming their systems can make some owners believe the vehicles can drive themselves.

AAA's director of automotive engineering Greg Brannon says “these systems are made as an aid to driving, they aren’t autonomous, despite all of the hype around vehicle autonomy.  Clearly having 'pilot' in the name may imply a level of unaided driving, which isn’t correct for the current state of the development of these systems."

The test results come after several highly publicized crashes involving Tesla vehicles that were operating on the company's system named "Autopilot."

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