Motorists’ misuse of driver-assistance technology and drivers being distracted by in-vehicle features, rather than mechanical problems, are the biggest risks for road safety, according to a survey of transport specialists.The survey, published on Wednesday, reflects industry concerns about human error as some governments weigh tougher regulations for automated driving systems.In the US concerns have grown over features offered by carmakers, including Ford’s BlueCruise system and Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, which is seeking approval for a Europe-wide rollout.“We need to make sure those systems are really explained to the end-user and proposed with a clear visibility of what they can and cannot do,” said Ignacio Alvarez, R&D Chief at Italian brake maker Brembo, which financed the survey.The survey, conducted by Economist Enterprise, a division of The Economist Group, covered more than 1,000 transport specialists in policy, infrastructure, manufacturing and technology across car-producing countries France, Germany, Italy, the UK, China, India, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and the US.“The real risk is the interface between humans and machines and increasingly automated systems,” said Economist Enterprise research leader Pratima Singh.At least 30% of transport specialists surveyed cited human misunderstanding or misuse of driving assistance systems as the leading driver of mobility safety issues, while in a separate question on safety risks of user-vehicle interaction, 24% pointed to increasingly distracting in-vehicle features.Two-thirds of professionals believed advertising overstated the systems’ capabilities, “creating unrealistic expectations”, Singh said.In China, regulators are considering tighter oversight of advanced driver-assistance systems after a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi vehicle.In Europe a Swedish transport authority is recommending a vote against the Europe-wide rollout of Tesla’s supervised self-driving software, unless the US EV maker disables its ability to exceed legal speed limits, a letter shows.A UN vehicle standards forum approved new rules for automated-driving systems last month.The Economist Enterprise survey also polled more than 5,000 road users, 88% of whom said they support tougher road-safety measures, suggesting backing for stricter regulation.Reuters