Colchester ― His hands lightly touching the steering wheel, his foot on the accelerator, Alex Knizek aimed a 2022 Mercedes C300 at a fork in the road up ahead.

The car, equipped with an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) designed to make a choice in such situations ― either veer left or veer right ― should have been about to kick in.

It didn’t.

Instead, Knizek, manager of vehicle testing and insights at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center here, took control at the last second, steering the car to the left.

“Sometimes it doesn’t make a choice,” he said. “Sometimes the system shuts off.”

Consumer Reports, which has been testing such systems since 2018, went public Thursday with its new, million-dollar ADAS Loop, a 1.5-mile track enabling it to put the latest in driver-assistance technology through its paces. The nonprofit research and advocacy organization invited a group that included Gov. Ned Lamont; Jennifer Homedny, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board; David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; and the media to inspect the new facility.

More than half of the cars being produced today have ADAS features that enable them to automate certain driving functions with little or no driver intervention, according to Consumer Reports.

“This ADAS Loop will let us put the latest vehicles ― and future innovations ― through our most rigorous tests,” said Marta Tellado, president and chief executive officer of Consumer Reports. “Our ultimate goal is making sure proven safety features come standard in every vehicle, because your safety shouldn’t be treated like a luxury add-on.”

Homedny, a Plainville native, lauded Consumer Reports for the work it does, saying the 115 road-related deaths that occur each day in the United States constitute a “public health crisis.” She said auto manufacturers must prioritize the safety of those outside of vehicles ― pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists ― as well as occupants of vehicles.

“There are no self-driving cars on the market,” said Homedny, who was critical of advertising that suggests otherwise.

Harkey struck a similar theme, saying some new technology can give drivers the illusion they’re not actually driving.

Lamont pronounced Connecticut the “auto safety capital of the world,” citing Consumer Reports’ efforts in Colchester and a legacy that dates back to the 1965 publication of Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed.” The Winsted consumer advocate’s best-seller exposed car manufacturers’ resistance to safety features.

Twitter

Consumer Reports founded its auto testing program in 1936 and acquired its 327-acre site in Colchester in 1986. The site included the former Connecticut International Dragway and adjoining wooded properties. The organization invested $2.7 million in the property from 1986 to 2000 and another $5 million between 2005 and 2012, including a 12,000-square-foot maintenance building, a rock hill for evaluating four-wheel-drive vehicles and special surfaces for measuring noise and hydroplaning resistance.

In 2020, it erected a $1 million Tire & Car Seat Testing Center.

The ADAS Loop resembles real roads across the country and includes intersections, on/off ramps, lane splits, merges, curves and hills.

Over the years, Consumer Reports has advocated for seat belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes and back-up cameras, all of which are now considered standard equipment. It spends $600,000 to $700,000 a year anonymously purchasing the vehicles it tests from local dealers.

Knizek, the vehicle testing manager who drove the Mercedes Friday, also demonstrated the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system, announcing he wasn’t going to go for the brake as the car, traveling 20 mph, neared another vehicle parked in its path. To the relief of passengers, the Mercedes sounded an alarm and abruptly stopped well short of a collision.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com