Carmakers push towards ‘eyes-off’ driving, raising questions of safety, liability

Automakers are racing towards a key milestone on the long road to fully driverless cars: systems that let drivers take their eyes off the road – to shoot a text or peck away on a laptop – unless the car alerts them to retake control. Car companies for years have been enhancing driver-assistance systems, which automatically control speed and steering. Letting drivers tend to other things while behind the wheel could be a next step that helps automakers monetise their sizeable investments in autonomy. “We can start saving them time immediately and do it in a very affordable way,” said Mr Doug Field, Ford Motor’s chief electric vehicle, digital and design officer. Ford is planning to introduce an eyes-off system on affordable electric models starting in 2028. But there is a growing debate about whether the eyes-off technology – referred to in the industry as Level 3 autonomous driving – is worth offering at all. Some executives and industry experts say handing control back and forth between the car and human driver is unworkable or unsafe, and raises thorny liability issues.

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