ADAS: PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY

While Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are helping to save lives on our roads, there are some common misconceptions about what they can actually do. Let’s set the record straight

- ELEANOR COOPER [e-mail]

WHEN ADVANCED DRIVER Assistance Systems (ADAS) are mentioned, you might think of the modern technologies that new cars are abrim with, such as devices that detect drowsiness, or stop you from veering into the wrong lane.

However, ADAS technology has actually been around since the 1970s, with anti-lock braking (ABS) among the earliest examples.

Since then, the presence of ADAS in our cars has grown massively. It has come to play a vital role in preventing collisions on the road, and safety testing has adapted to reflect its importance. In 2014, independent car safety assessment body Euro NCAP began incorporating automatic emergency braking (AEB) into its tests, broadening its scope to test a wider range of systems later in 2020 and 2023.

Under the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) legislation, it is mandatory for all new cars to have a range of ADAS technologies, including AEB. Although the UK isn't officially aligned with this legislation, most new cars sold here are already equipped with these features, because it would be complex and expensive for car makers to engineer bespoke systems for different markets.

THE IMPACT OF ADAS

From 2014 to 2024, deaths on UK roads declined by 7.4%, according to figures from the Department for Transport (DfT). The data shows that ineffective observation by either the driver, rider or pedestrian was a contributing factor in 589 fatal collisions recorded in 2015, but this number fell to 320 in 2024.

This reflects the rise of ADAS functions, such as AEB and blindspot monitoring, which are designed to kick in when they detect a collision risk - often when the driver's or another road user’s attention is diverted. A 2015 study by Euro NCAP and Australasian NCAP found a 38% reduction in real-world low-speed rear-end crashes, thanks to AEB specifically.