Shocking Safety Test: Only 24% of Cars Pass Critical Highway Crash Scenarios!

Dongchedi's Landmark Test Exposes Critical Gaps in Intelligent Driving Systems

In a groundbreaking collaboration with CCTV News, Dongchedi orchestrated one of the most ambitious real-world safety tests ever conducted. Utilizing a dedicated 15-kilometer stretch encompassing both highway and urban environments, they subjected 36 mainstream car models – including Tesla, Huawei-affiliated brands, and NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto – to extreme simulated accident scenarios.

The Test: Simulating Nightmare Scenarios

The exhaustive evaluation covered 15 high-risk situations designed to push automobile safety systems to their limits. These included terrifying simulations like:

• A lead car suddenly disappearing from view

• Avoiding stationary trucks in poorly lit construction zones

• Children darting unexpectedly across the road
  Hundreds of simulated collisions were conducted, meticulously replicating low-probability but catastrophic accident types that challenge even experienced human drivers.

⚡️ Highway Horror Show: A Mere 24% Pass Rate

The highway segment proved exceptionally challenging for the intelligent driving systems:

• 6 Brutal Scenarios: Testing vanishing vehicles, sudden obstacles, and complex merges.

• 183 Test Runs: Across all 36 participating car models.

• Alarmingly Low Success: Only 44 tests resulted in safe avoidance – a shockingly low 24% pass rate. This highlights significant vulnerabilities in highway driver-assist tech for conventional and new energy car models alike.

️ Urban Challenges: Slightly Better, Still Concerning

Performance improved in city settings, yet remained far from reassuring:

• 9 Complex Urban Dangers: Including pedestrian conflicts and erratic traffic flow.

• 233 Test Runs: Involving 26 automobile models equipped with Urban Navigation on Autopilot (NOA).

• 44.2% Pass Rate: While better than highway performance, this still means systems failed in over half of critical urban interventions. Many electric vehicle models struggled with unpredictable urban elements.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Systems Aren't Fail-Safe

The core finding is unequivocal: Current intelligent driving systems cannot guarantee safety in extreme situations. Relying on them without constant vigilance is dangerous. Key limitations include:

1. Sensor & Processing Gaps: Systems are frequently overwhelmed by complex, fast-changing scenarios.

2. Inconsistent Performance: Identical systems can behave differently across car models, even on the same electric vehicle platform. Performance fluctuates based on calibration, environment, and driving conditions – even on the same battery car in the same scenario run twice.

⚖️ Official Warning: Hands On Wheel, Eyes On Road!

Echoing the test's dire findings, China's Ministry of Public Security Traffic Management Bureau issued a stark warning on July 23, 2025:

"No currently available 'intelligent driving' system is an 'autonomous driver'. Drivers who remove hands from the wheel or eyes from the road face severe risks: catastrophic crashes, potential civil liability, administrative penalties, and even criminal charges. Treat these systems as advanced aids only."