Game-changing ‘hands-free, eyes-on’ technology for motorway drivers

We road test Ford’s pioneering BlueCruise self-driving system…

I’m no stranger to the latest advances in car tech, so I was a bit sceptical when I was offered the opportunity to try BlueCruise in a Ford Mustang Mach-E.

After all, over the years I’ve experienced hands-free systems in vehicles from the likes of Tesla, Volvo, Nissan and Audi, so what’s new?

The difference with BlueCruise is that it’s the first ‘hands-off, eyes-on’ advanced driver assistance technology approved by the Department for Transport for some 2,300 miles of pre-mapped motorways in the UK.

BlueCruise builds on the capabilities of Adaptive Cruise Control, which can automatically keep pace with traffic within legal speed limits, right down to a complete halt.

Unlike other tech used by rivals, BlueCruise allows drivers on approved Blue Zone sections of motorway to drive with their hands off the steering wheel as long as they continue to pay attention to the road ahead.

And as I found out, it’s not just the fact that you drive for uninterrupted periods with your hands free – it’s the slick all-round experience.

I tried it on sections of the M3 and M25. The technology kicked in seamlessly as I joined the M3 from the A303 where I’d been in adaptive cruise control.

Cleverly, the system recognises you’re on a BlueCruise motorway (there’s a map of the full network on the Ford website), the driver’s displays turns blue, it says ‘hands free’ and you’re off.

Or at least your hands are off – and your feet (if you like), but not your eyes.

If the system detects driver inattention, warning messages are first displayed on the driver’s screen, followed by audible alerts, brake activations, and finally slowing of the vehicle while maintaining steering control.

So, once in a Blue Zone, it’s much like any intelligent adaptive cruise control (ACC) system, using a combination of radars and cameras to detect and track the position and speed of other vehicles on the road.

Additionally, a forward-facing camera detects lane markings and speed signs and, crucially, the system also uses an infrared driver-facing camera located below the instrument cluster to check your eye gaze and head pose – even when you are wearing sunglasses – to ensure your attention remains focused on the road.

Just like the first time you use adaptive cruise control, it really is a matter of trusting the technology.

Thankfully, I didn’t experience any frightening moments, so I didn’t lose my nerve and there was no need to grab the wheel.

I couldn’t think of much else to do with my hands other than to lay them on my lap, but I guess you could drink a bottle of water or eat a sandwich, as long as you keep your eyes on the road.

However – as with driving any type of vehicle – while there’s no specific law about snacking behind the wheel, the police could prosecute you for careless driving if they consider you to not be in proper control of your vehicle, an offence which carries an on-the-spot fine of £100 and three penalty points.

Sadly, you still have to take control of the car again in order to change lane. Apparently, we have a less advanced version of BlueCruise than the US where the regulations are looser. There, lane-changing is automatic. If the lane is open, you simply activate the indicator, then BlueCruise will switch lane.

That said, unlike other self-driving systems, you can in theory drive for hundreds of miles with your hands off the steering wheel in a Mustang Mach-E fitted with BlueCruise. In fact, Ford claims hands-free Blue Zones make up around 95% of the UK’s motorways.

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that I felt more rested when I reached the end of my two journeys. What’s more, on a really long trip I think I’d feel more alert if technology was taking some of the strain.

So, Ford’s BlueCruise technology is genuinely impressive. Whether it’s worth the subscription is another matter.

The first 90 days are included with the vehicle purchase and, thereafter, you have to pay £17.99 per month.

At the moment, BlueCruise can be enabled on Mustang Mach-E models from model year 2023, though Ford is working on the OTA (over-the-air) software to enable all Mach-E owners with the tech pack installed to have BlueCruise as an update.