Understanding ADAS Systems

Almost all traffic accidents are because of human error. Someone didn’t pay enough attention and backed into another vehicle. Or they looked down for a second and accidentally drifted into another lane.

Those actions could cause serious car accidents and potential injuries as well. That’s why many cars today are equipped with something called ADAS. These adaptations can help make the road safer for everyone and prevent a large number of accidents.

What Is ADAS?

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) include any type of technology that makes driving safer, easier, and more comfortable. It includes anything from an alarm that warns when you leave a lane to systems that will automatically move the vehicle. Most new vehicles include these features, and it will only become more and more common to see cars with ADAS features installed.

Passive vs. Active ADAS Systems

There are two main types of ADAS systems: passive and active. Passive systems warn drivers of hazards or potential collisions. Some examples of passive ADAS include lane departure warnings and blind spot monitoring. The driver will still need to take evasive action to avoid a collision, but the ADAS features help them stay alert and know when action is needed.

Active ADAS includes anything that directly intervenes to prevent a collision. For example, automatic braking will slow down the car without the driver having to intervene. Adaptive cruise control works similarly as well.

This feature will slow the vehicle from the set speed if there’s ever slower traffic. Many cars include both passive and active ADAS features to help improve driving safety.

How ADAS Systems Work

Modern vehicles all have computers inside of them. These chips connect to sensors in the car. The sensors will pick up information about the environment and send it back to the processor.

Some sensors work because of LIDAR technology, cameras, or even ultrasound. Self-driving cars incorporate all of these sensors since there is no driver to respond to alerts.

Once the sensors pick up information, it’s sent to a processor that uses data processing and decision-making tools to evaluate the appropriate response or alert. These tools aren’t able to make human-like decisions but are instead completely automated to turn certain information into a particular type of response.

The final part of an ADAS system is the human-machine interface (HMI). The HMI allows the driver to interact with the automated system. That can include any type of alert system or a screen where a driver can select certain systems and features.

Types of ADAS Systems

ADAS systems are the most recent developments in terms of vehicle safety. Shatter-resistant glass, three-point seatbelts, and airbags were all passive safety measures added historically. Today, these six types of ADAS features are some of the most common safety features.

Collision Avoidance Systems

Collision avoidance systems are an umbrella term for any features that help alert drivers and avoid crashes of any kind. These features include:

• Forward Collision Warning (FCW). FCW alerts drivers of slow-moving or stopped vehicles in front of them. It uses lasers, radar, or cameras to scan the road ahead of a driver. If it picks something up, it will beep or signal to the driver that something is wrong. Ideally, this will help the driver be more aware of their surroundings and react much faster than if they had to notice the obstacle.
• Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB). This automatic ADAS feature automatically stops a car if a potential collision is detected. For example, the vehicle could use similar technology to an FCW to pick up on a stopped car in the driver’s path. The AEB would then start slowing down the vehicle to avoid the collision. If a collision isn’t avoidable, AEB still slows the vehicle to lessen the impact and hopefully reduce any damage or injuries that could occur during the crash.
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW). This technology alerts drivers if they leave the lane without using a turn signal. Turning on a signal will let the car’s sensors know that the driver is intentionally switching lanes. Without the signal, the car will assume it’s an accident and set off an alarm or alert of some kind. This alert can signal to the driver that they need to pay attention to where the vehicle is and give them enough time to take evasive action if needed.
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA). LKA is an active ADAS feature that takes LDW to the next level. Instead of only alerting the driver, LKA will automatically move the vehicle back into the right lane. Again, this won’t be triggered if the driver uses their turn signal to leave a lane automatically. If LKA is activated, the steering wheel will automatically turn as well to signal to the driver that they’ve drifted out of their lane.

Parking Assistance Systems

This is a catch-all term for any tool that helps drivers park their vehicles safely and effectively. Some features that help with parking assistance include:

• Rearview cameras. These cameras detect when an object behind the vehicle is too close. It might alert the driver if something is nearing the vehicle and then intensify if it becomes closer. That can help drivers gauge the distance between their vehicle and other vehicles or objects more accurately. This feature helps with both parking and reversing in any other situation.
• Parking sensors. Most of these systems use ultrasonic sensors that emit sound waves. There’s a controller in the car that measures how long it takes for a sound wave to bounce back off an object, telling the car how far away that object is. The alert sounds if the vehicle gets close to the object, and the alert will increase in intensity and pitch the closer the vehicle gets. This feature differs from rearview cameras because it doesn’t necessarily include any visual elements for the driver. It’s mostly sound and alerts about how close the vehicle is getting to an object.
• Automated parking. This is an active feature that will automatically park a vehicle. It’s a robotic system that can steer a vehicle into a detected parking spot. Most systems require the driver to shift gears and brake, but the car will do the rest.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an improved version of traditional cruise control. The driver will set a certain speed like with conventional cruise control features, but the adaptive cruise control will adjust the speed as needed for enhanced safety.

ACC automatically adjusts the speed of your car to match the speed of the car in front of you. If the car ahead slows down, ACC can automatically match it, regardless of what speed the driver set for cruise control. That can reduce the risk of cruise control leading to accidents.

Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)

Blind-spot monitoring (BSM) uses sensors or cameras to determine if a vehicle or object is in a blind spot. Oftentimes, this feature will alert the driver that something is in their blind spot by using a blinking light on the mirrors. If the driver turns on their signal to switch into a lane where someone is in their blind spot, the car will alert the driver more strongly that this isn’t a safe place to move the car.

Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)

TSR uses forward-facing cameras to detect traffic signs. This technology allows the car to “see” the signs and alert the driver to any changes. For example, the vehicle can detect speed limit signs and display them on the dashboard for the driver.

That way, if the driver misses a sign or doesn’t notice it, they’re still able to know what speed to drive to keep everyone safer. TSR can also typically notice “children at play” signs and signs about turns.

Night Vision Systems

Night vision lets the car “see” what’s farther ahead in the dark. Headlights only show a limited view of what’s ahead in the dark, even when turned on the highest setting. This is made even more difficult if there are poor weather conditions, like rain or fog, that can impede vision.

Night vision systems use technology to show drivers what’s in front of them earlier than they would see it with headlights. It can alert drivers to obstacles like other vehicles, deer, pedestrians, and other creatures that could be on the road. Better night vision helps drivers avoid accidents in situations where it might be difficult to do so without help.

Benefits of ADAS

ADAS systems come with many benefits for drivers and organizations that employ drivers in a fleet. Some of the key benefits of installing this type of technology include:

• Safety improvements. Most ADAS features are designed to improve the level of safety in the vehicle and on the road. These features help keep the driver alert and automate responses when necessary to protect the driver, passengers, and other people on the road.
• Reduced accidents and fatalities. Most accidents are due to human error, including collisions that result in fatalities. Motor vehicle crashes are considered a leading cause of death and kill 100 people every day, according to the CDC. Reducing the opportunities for human error can help reduce the number of accidents and fatalities from driving.
• Convenience and driver assistance. ADAS features also make driving more convenient. These tools automate certain functions and help drivers stay alert about their surroundings without much effort. For example, blind spot monitoring lets drivers know about potential obstacles in their path without having to turn their heads and take their eyes off the road.
• Fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Safer driving is also more environmentally friendly driving. ADAS systems can also help manage fuel more efficiently to help reduce the impact on the environment.

Challenges of Relying on ADAS

While there are many benefits to using ADAS, there are some challenges that come from being too reliant on these systems:

• Sensor limitations. The sensors used in ADAS are powerful, but they do have limitations. For example, the rearview cameras could be covered by debris or blocked by snow in poor weather conditions. That could cause the sensors and cameras to be less accurate or become unusable until the weather is better.
• False positives and negatives. Sometimes the sensors can give a false positive and alert the driver to a danger that isn’t there. The reverse can happen as well and be worse. For example, parking sensors might not register that there’s an object the vehicle could hit. The driver would proceed assuming there’s nothing in their path and still hit something.
• Driver over-reliance on ADAS. If drivers are too reliant on ADAS tools, they are more likely to run into problems with false positives or negatives. Drivers still need to stay alert and aware of their surroundings to evaluate the efficacy of an alert. For example, in that parking example above, if the driver was paying attention as well, they would see the object the sensors didn’t pick up and still be able to avoid it.
• Cybersecurity concerns. Anything that is connected to the wider wireless networks can become a cybersecurity concern. Any internet connection could potentially open up the system to cybersecurity threats. However, it’s key to choose a reliable car manufacturer and high-quality connectivity provider to mitigate this risk as much as possible.

The Future of ADAS

Overall, ADAS systems are a powerful way to improve safety on the road for everyone. This is especially true if you run a business that relies on drivers and fleet management. These developments can help keep drivers safe and reduce the risk of damage to fleet vehicles.