Stepping on the Safety Pedal: BlueCruise Scrutiny Intensifies

Here's something that will put you in a bit of a speed wobble. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), a division of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, just confirmed that BlueCruise was active during two fatal crashes. One took place in Texas in February and the other in April in the great state of Pennsylvania.

This less-than-stellar news places BlueCruise - currently teching it up in vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, certain F-150s and Explorers and Expeditions - in the glaring headlights of scrutiny. Seems like the folks in big blue aren't exactly cruising to victory here.

The National Transportation Safety Board, ever the sticklers for detail, has launched an investigation into the Texas crash. Ford, on their part, stated that they are "working with NHTSA to support its investigation." Nice to see some fruitful collaboration in these troubled times.

A Deeper Dive Into The Cruising Conundrum

The investigation into these crashes comes hot on the heels of ODI concluding their most high-profile driver-assistance investigation – the one into Tesla’s Autopilot. After a bunch of Teslas had an unfortunate attraction for stationary emergency vehicles (while on Autopilot, mind you), ODI finally stated that there was a "critical safety gap between drivers’ expectations and the system’s true capabilities" leading to "foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes." Seems like something was lost in Tesla-lation there!

BlueCruise was proudly announced by Ford in 2021. It's a sophisticated dame, only making appearances on pre-mapped highways. Ford made sure to pair it up with a camera-based driver monitoring system that's designed to keep a hawk-like watch on drivers. Those eagle eyes can tell if the driver's peepers are still on the road when BlueCruise is active. Definitely tighter constraints than the leash Tesla has left Autopilot on.

Looking Forward: Are We Cruising To Nowhere?

Despite many tipping their hats to BlueCruise (including the esteemed Consumer Reports), the recent crashes and the ensuing investigations hint at something bigger; a more elemental issue with advanced driver assistance systems that some companies might be a little reticent to confess.

In the fast-paced world of automotive technology, the journey is often more important than the destination. It's crucial to remember though, that a smooth cruise is only as good as the safety it ensures. Time for the industry to buckle up and wrestle the wheel back?

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