Recently, a private vehicle stopped motionless while passing through a toll booth in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. When traffic police approached to investigate, they discovered the driver had fallen asleep inside the vehicle. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that the driver, suffering from excessive fatigue, had activated the intelligent driving assistance function throughout the journey, allowing the vehicle to drive autonomously. Police provided criticism and education to the driver and issued a warning citation.

On short video platforms, similar scenarios are commonplace: drivers activate intelligent driving assistance while traveling at high speeds, then look down at their phones, close their eyes to rest, or even lie down to sleep. In the comment sections, some marvel at how "technology liberates our hands," while others criticize such behavior as "gambling with their own lives and others'."

Does intelligent driving assistance mean the steering wheel can be completely "entrusted" to the system? Can current technology levels support drivers "lying back for travel"? To clarify the boundaries and risks of intelligent driving assistance usage, reporters conducted investigative interviews.

"Please take control of the steering wheel."

Recently, reporters conducted practical tests on intelligent driving assistance systems of three vehicle brands on safe road sections. Results showed that after hands left the steering wheel for more than ten seconds, all vehicle central control screens displayed "Please take control of the steering wheel" prompts. When reporters looked down or turned their heads sideways for several tens of seconds, the systems also provided voice prompts saying "Please watch the road ahead."

Multiple automotive brand representatives told reporters that to address the increasingly prominent issue of improper use of intelligent driving assistance, car manufacturers are continuously upgrading Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) and building multi-layered safety protection mechanisms.

According to reports, most vehicles in China currently equipped with intelligent driving functions are at the L2 level, requiring drivers to monitor throughout and be prepared to take control at any time, hence called "intelligent driving assistance."

However, investigations revealed that some car owners deliberately circumvent DMS monitoring by using capacitive sensing fabric, weighted rings, and other methods to look down at phones, close eyes to rest, or even lie down to sleep. Online, merchants openly sell such "assistance artifacts" with accompanying "bypass tutorials."

Car Manufacturers Strengthen Technical Defenses

On the morning of September 17, the Fifth Brigade of the Fifth Detachment of Shanxi Highway Traffic Police received a report of a single-vehicle accident on the Cangyu Expressway heading toward Yulin. Upon arrival, police learned that the accident occurred because the driver had fallen sound asleep after activating the intelligent driving assistance function. The vehicle deviated under system control and ultimately crashed into roadside barriers, causing property damage. Fortunately, the impact woke the driver who promptly took control of the vehicle, preventing casualties. This incident once again sounded alarm bells for the misuse of intelligent driving assistance.

Many drivers mistakenly equate "driving assistance" with "autonomous driving," but according to investigations, the vast majority of intelligent driving assistance systems currently on the market remain at the L2 level, far from achieving complete "entrustment" capabilities. Once drivers relax their vigilance after activating the system, or even play with phones or sleep, they not only violate road traffic safety laws and regulations but also pose enormous threats to their own safety and public security.

To prevent misuse of intelligent driving assistance, many car manufacturers have introduced DMS solutions centered on visual recognition, multimodal biometric identification, and physical feedback linkage, maximizing risk avoidance through precise monitoring and graduated intervention.

For example, one brand employs a multimodal biometric identification solution, integrating infrared cameras, millimeter-wave radar, and steering wheel capacitive sensors to build a "visual + tactile" dual monitoring network. Steering wheel capacitive sensors detect hand contact in real-time, immediately triggering warnings if both hands are detected to be off for more than 3 seconds.

In terms of intervention mechanisms, this system implements "progressive physical feedback": first-level alerts use seat vibration and voice prompts; if no response within 10 seconds, the system enters second-level intervention, smoothly decelerating while issuing 3D surround sound alerts; if the driver still doesn't respond, the vehicle automatically moves to the emergency lane, stops, and unlocks doors.

Another brand's DMS categorizes fatigue levels based on eye closure frequency and duration: first-level fatigue only provides voice reminders; second-level fatigue activates seatbelt pre-tensioning and steering wheel vibration; third-level fatigue automatically limits speed to 80km/h, navigates to the nearest service area, and displays "mandatory rest" prompts.

Diverse Methods to Evade Monitoring

Since systems have warnings, why do many car owners still achieve "hands-off" driving?

On September 20, Beijing car owner Mr. Li showed reporters his "intelligent driving artifact" purchased for 159 yuan – a capacitive sensing fabric printed with "intelligent driving assistance." "Wrapping this fabric around the steering wheel allows you to 'entrust' the steering wheel," he explained.

During nighttime testing, reporters observed Mr. Li wrapping the fabric around the steering wheel, activating intelligent driving assistance, then releasing his hands and looking down to use his phone. Over the following tens of minutes, aside from one "please watch ahead" prompt, the vehicle issued no steering wheel separation alerts. After Mr. Li symbolically looked up, even this single warning disappeared.

"This works great on highways. As long as weather isn't too bad, it basically 'liberates your hands' for handling work," Mr. Li said, explaining that the fabric mimics human body capacitive signals, fooling the steering wheel's contact sensors.

He told reporters that besides fabric, weighted rings are also common, achieving the same effect by simulating hand pressure.

Some interviewed car owners mentioned circumventing DMS visual monitoring by wearing specially made sunglasses (with reflective coating on lenses), blocking in-car cameras, applying fake eyelashes, or even using bright lights to interfere with cameras.

Technical posts on certain forums detail how to adjust sunglasses angles so cameras cannot capture pupil changes. Some users claim "tested closing eyes for 10 seconds without triggering alerts," though such methods have low success rates, with approximately 60% of tests triggering emergency braking due to lighting changes.

"Artifacts" Are No Excuse for Liability

Based on clues provided by car owners, reporters searched e-commerce platforms for keywords like "intelligent driving assistor" and "intelligent driving artifact," finding hundreds of related products priced from hundreds to thousands of yuan. Merchants subtly label pages with "assists in maintaining steering wheel balance" and "reduces alert sounds," with some customer service representatives privately sending usage tutorials.

One capacitive sensing fabric compatible with popular vehicle models costs 559 yuan with nearly 100 monthly sales. Comments frequently include phrases like "no more alert sounds" and "can relax during long drives." One user posted images claiming: "Hands completely released, no prompts throughout, still works after system upgrades."

Many buyers admit knowing such "artifacts" carry certain safety and legal risks but feel "occasional use is fine." Some buyers believe "driving assistance is reliable and won't cause accidents." Tianjin car owner Mr. Wang said he frequently uses fabric on highways: "I rely on it to handle work emails during long drives. As long as I keep an eye on the road, there shouldn't be problems."

Interviewed experts pointed out that this type of opportunistic mentality among car owners is the fundamental reason such "gray products" sell well.

Facing user circumvention behaviors and gray industry chain challenges, some car manufacturers are continuously strengthening defenses through "hardware encryption + algorithm recognition." For example, new-generation steering wheel torque sensors equipped with encryption chips can identify "natural torque changes from human hand gripping" while directly determining "uniform torque signals" from fixed devices like weighted rings as invalid, triggering system alerts. Additionally, vehicle central control systems periodically scan electromagnetic signals around steering wheels, immediately limiting intelligent driving assistance functions if abnormal capacitive signals from conductive devices like capacitive sensing fabric are detected.

Despite continuous technological iteration, complete reliance on systems remains unrealistic. Interviewed experts noted that according to road traffic safety laws, drivers remain the primary operators of vehicles when using intelligent driving assistance systems and must bear full legal responsibility. In case of accidents, drivers face legal accountability, and so-called "artifacts" cannot serve as liability exemptions.