As Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) become more readily available in vehicles, their ability to reduce the number of crashes on roadways and save lives exponentially increases. In broad terms, they warn the driver that a crash is imminent or temporarily automate certain aspects of vehicle control such as acceleration, braking or steering. Unless consumers accept and understand these technologies, but avoid becoming over-reliant on them, their full potential will not be realized, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
AAA recently surveyed more than 1,200 vehicle owners that have ADAS features in their car, which include forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keeping assist (LKA), blind spot monitoring (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA) and adaptive cruise control (ACC).
Key findings of the study include:
• At least two in three of the survey respondents said they trusted these technologies.
• At least seven in 10 owners said they would want each respective technology on their next car and that they would recommend it to others.
Yet, several respondents are unaware of the technologies’ key limitations. For example, 33% of vehicle owners with AEB systems did not realize that the system relied on cameras or sensors that could be blocked by dirt, ice or snow, according to the AAA study.
The data also highlighted some safety concerns as it relates to consumers’ response to the technology in their vehicles. For example, 30% of vehicle owners with BSM systems reported sometimes over-relying on the system to change lanes without visually checking their blind spot. And, 25% of vehicle owners with RCTA systems reported occasionally backing up without looking over their shoulder.
While the term “ADAS” might not be familiar to you, you may better know the technology as automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning. Familiarize yourself with the ADAS features that are specific to the vehicles on which you’re working. Industry experts say that the complexity of these systems is only going to increase, so make sure you are ready to service and repair them. Knowledge is power, but you’ll also need to have the right tools/scan tools to service them.
And, since ADAS systems require a vehicle’s brake, steering and suspension systems to be in good-working order to operate at their peak, it’s an opportunity for your shop to keep your customers’ undercar systems at their prime.
