FINAL ASSEMBLY: Drivers tune out of driving when they’re not driving

New research finds there’s ‘a false sense of security’ with autonomous systems.

A $319,000 study by the University of Windsor in southwestern Ontario indicates, perhaps not surprisingly, that driver attentiveness declines when self-driving-vehicle technology is used.

“What the preliminary findings show is drivers may be more disengaged from the driving task when the autopilot is on,” Kinesiology Professor Francesco Biondi told the Windsor Star in January. Biondi and electrical-engineering Associate Professor Balakumar Balasingam lead a department that studies the interaction between humans and machines and automation.

“It could make it more worrisome about the extent these systems cause people to disengage because there’s a false sense of security,” Biondi told the Star. “When you’re manual driving, you have to be much more engaged.”

Volunteers drive the university’s recently purchased Tesla Model 3 in manual and autonomous modes. Systems record pupil dilation, eye position, gaze and alertness. Drivers also wear sensors for vital signs such as heart rate.

Full results of the study are expected by summer.

PURPLE HAZE BFALLS WINNIPEG

There’s an unusual glow over Manitoba’s capital, cast by about 1,750 defective LED streetlights.

Manitoba Hydro, which manages the 90,000 lights, calls it a “delamination” issue. Spokesman Bruce Owen said the LEDs cast a natural purple light, so a phosphorescent yellow coating is used to turn them white. When the coating fails, the light looks purple.

The faulty LEDs are being replaced under warranty by the manufacturer, American Electric Lighting, Owen said. Other cities in North America have reported similar issues.

STEELE WHEELS IN THE ROLLING STONES

You can always get what you want at this mobile exhibit brought to town by a dealer who loves the band

For Halifax residents looking  for some satisfaction, wild horses might not be able to keep them away from Unzipped, a traveling museum brought to town by Steele Auto Group.

Staged at the Steele Wheels Motor Museum — a play on the name of the Rolling Stones’ “Steel Wheels” album — in Nova Scotia’s capital, the exhibition features clothing, photos, instruments and other memorabilia from the band’s 61-year history.

Steele CEO Rob Steele — who is also 61 years old — said he has long been a fan.

“It’s quite a fascinating exhibit, even if you are not a Stones fan, and that’s a frequent comment we’ve heard because the costumes are there, the instruments, song sheets, an iron stage design from various tours ... it’s interesting to see,” Steele told news website wheels.ca.

Unzipped runs until March 19. General admission is $38 at steelewheels.ca.

STUPIDITY IS THE COMMON THEME FOR INSURANCE FRAUD

The list is topped with staged collisions and theft, and fake injuries

Manitoba public insurance (MPI) has released details of its top five denied cases of 2022, worth nearly $500,000.

One claimant declared that a truck hit his vehicle, but MPI determined that the drivers knew each other. They admitted to staging the collision to save the car’s owner an estimated $42,000 in repairs, which included an engine seized by a lack of motor oil.

Another case involved a container for laundry detergent left near the claimant’s burned-out vehicle. Investigators determined he was seen earlier, with his vehicle, filling the same container with gasoline. The $24,400 claim was denied.

Other cases included falsified injuries to receive income replacement (saving $300,000), an impaired driver hiding behind several people in a damaged vehicle to deny being the driver ($62,000) and an individual who said his car was stolen despite the immobilizer working. He later admitted to staging the theft ($38,000 claim denial).

APMA’s BACK IS UP OVER BRIDGE BLOCKADE

The industry organization is not asking for its court costs to be covered but credit where credit is due

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), has taken issue with the City of Windsor claiming credit for ending last year’s blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, estimated to have cost Canada’s automotive industry more than $600 million.

Volpe said the APMA was among the first organizations to launch legal action, leading to a court order to dismantle the blockade, which for six days in February paralyzed commercial traffic using the link between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.

On Dec. 29, the federal government announced $6.9 million for Windsor to cover legal and other expenses incurred to enforce the court order.

The APMA has not asked for its legal fees to be reimbursed, Volpe said.

“I take some umbrage at the fact that the characterization out of [Windsor city hall] these days is that it was a City of Windsor initiative,” he told CTV Windsor News on Jan. 4.

“The feds came to town and, you know, made Windsor whole, so I guess that leaves [the APMA] as the only ones who put our money where our mouth is.”

Volpe credits the city, APMA and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA), which lobbies for the Detroit Three in Canada, with ending the blockade.

In a statement to CTV News, the city credited APMA, CVMA and Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce noting that Windsor’s residents “bore the brunt of the occupation.”

“The city’s focus of advocacy with the federal government was for the cost of the blockade to taxpayers,” said Andrew Teliszewsky, chief of staff for Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.