Tesla drivers are 'inattentive' when using Autopilot because they have 'incorrect expectations' of system, researchers find

Autonomous systems make drivers less attentive to the road even through'self-driving' technology still requires the human behind the wheel to remain focused, a new study has found. Researchers from MIT studied 290 drivers, recording where they looked and how long for before and after they had disengaged Tesla's Autopilot technology, which the researchers say is considered to be one of the most capable systems available, but found that there was "evidence that drivers may not be using AP as recommended". Data suggests that "before disengagement, drivers looked less on road and focused more on non-driving related areas compared to after the transition to manual driving. The higher proportion of off-road glances before disengagement to manual driving were not compensated by longer glances ahead". Monitoring the driver's posture, face, and view in front of the vehicle over a total of 500,000 miles between all the drivers, the researchers found that checking side mirrors and rear mirrors decreased while AutoPilot was engaged.