By JOSH FUNK, AP Transportation Writer The systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel are convenient but don’t improve safety because people are often too reliant on them and end up paying more attention to their cellphones and infotainment screens than to the road, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said during the hearing on the NTSB’s investigation of two fatal crashes involving Ford’s Blue Cruise system that automakers need to do more to improve the way these systems monitor drivers, and the government should establish minimum safety standards. “These systems function primarily as convenience features rather than safety enhancements,” she said. The 2024 crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania killed three people when Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs slammed into stopped vehicles. In both cases, the drivers were distracted in ways the system failed to recognize. The Texas driver only briefly glanced at the road while searching for a charging station, and the Pennsylvania driver appeared focused on the cellphone she was holding on top of the steering wheel in front of her. Homendy said automakers are marketing these systems as safety improvements that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and focus elsewhere. To illustrate her point, she showed a Ford commercial that depicted a mother in a driver’s seat pretending to conduct a symphony with her eyes closed while talking to kids in the backseat. Philip Koopman, professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University and expert on self-driving vehicle safety, said the NTSB findings highlight longstanding concerns about the limitations of these driver assistance systems and the fact that more advancements are needed. “These concerns continue to be a problem,” Koopman said. “The finding today is that the journey is not over. More work is needed.” Ford