Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise driver support under investigation after two fatal crashes

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two fatal crashes involving two separate Ford Mustang Mach-Es that collided with stationary vehicles, killing three people. In at least one of the crashes, Ford’s BlueCruise driver assistance system was activated during the crash, while the second is under preliminary investigation. This is what happened.

The first fatality occurred in San Antonio, Texas, after a 44-year-old driver of a Mustang Mach-E using the driver assistance system crashed into a stationary Honda, killing the 56-year-old driver. Another Mach-E driver was involved in a fatal crash in Philadelphia on March 3, although it is not yet known if BlueCruise played a role.

The Texas incident involved the driver of a 2022 Mach E hitting a 1999 Honda CR-V that was stopped in the middle of I-10 with no lights around 9:50 p.m. A second crash near Philadelphia, which killed two people, involved a Mach-E that struck two parked vehicles on Interstate 95 at 3:13 a.m. on March 3. Both drivers of the vehicles were killed, and one of the victims may have been standing outside their vehicle. Associated Press report.

Regarding the February crash, the NTSB says that “based on data obtained from the vehicle, the driver was operating in BlueCruise mode prior to the crash.”

While the Honda driver died, the Mustang driver suffered minor injuries, and police found no signs of intoxication. According to the NTSB report, a witness who was traveling in the center lane in front of the Mach-E reported that he saw the Honda in the center lane and that the vehicle had no tail or hazard lights on. After changing lanes to avoid hitting the car, he saw another car hit the Honda.

Part of the NTSB issued a preliminary report on its investigation, with the final report likely to be published in a year or two.

BlueCruise is Ford’s driver assistance system, which enables hands-free driving on some highways. Ford isn’t promoting the system as autonomous driving, and drivers, while allowed to take their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals, are required to keep their eyes open at all times and be ready to take control of the vehicle. This is accomplished with a driver monitoring system that deactivates BlueCruise if the driver appears distracted or drowsy.

Studies have shown that people often rely too much on ADAS, treating them as automated driving systems, and their reaction times are slower than what is considered safe when taking control back.

NHTSA has spent nearly three years investigating more than a dozen accidents involving Tesla drivers using Autopilot. This is the first investigation into Ford’s ADAS, but as with Tesla, as more of these are on the road, more accidents and investigations will follow. Tesla, for its part, recently settled a lawsuit bought by the family of Apple engineer Walter Huang, who died when his Model X crashed using Autopilot in 2018.

Although GM’s Super Cruise can be used in many areas, BlueCruise is considered one of the best available, and the accident is notable because it is the first to involve the hands-free driving assistance available to the public. Also, Ford offers other safety features, such as Co-Pilot360 with forward collision warning and brake and steering assist to avoid obstacles, so this information could indicate a failure in those systems as well.