ADAS – To Trust, Or Not To Trust, That Is The Question
By John Oncea, Editor
ADAS implementations offer many benefits, such as reducing human suffering, lowering costs, and decreasing pollution. Nevertheless, these implementations also present potential challenges because the act of driving a regular vehicle is gradually shifting toward overseeing a partially automated one.
Quick – when buying a new car would you rather have automated safety or self-driving tech?
According to S&P Global Mobility's latest survey on Global Mobility, car buyers understand and want advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features that provide safer driving – and they expect them to be standard in new luxury and mainstream vehicles. But the same feelings do not apply when Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are applied to autonomous driving systems.
“There is a lack of exposure to the mainstream consumer,” said Yanina Mills, senior technical research analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “They don’t exactly know how it is going to work. There is confusion. They are asking, ‘Is it self-driving, or is it just going to help me a bit and I still have to focus?’”
The survey noted that, unlike self-driving features, drivers are already familiar with ADAS features, with about 35% of those surveyed already owning vehicles with forward collision warning and 30% driving vehicles with blind spot detection.
Repairer Driven News writes, “Among the most sought-after ADAS features drivers are seeking in their next vehicles are blind spot warning, automatic emergency braking for cyclists and pedestrians, and night vision. Conversely, most of the shoppers surveyed had virtually no experience with self-driving, ‘inhabiting its desirability,’ the report noted, adding that automated driving is the least desirable ADAS feature listed in its survey.”
Blind spot detection was the most sought-after feature with 82.5% of respondents indicating it was desirable. Rearview camera mirror (80.3%), forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking (80% each), and night vision (79.8%) also scored highly.
Conversely, unsupervised highway automated driving (64.9%), remote valet automatic parking (64.5%), hands-off city automated driving (63.1%), and self-driving cars (61%) did not.
Fifty-three percent of respondents felt an autonomous car would drive more efficiently than a normal car, 48% felt that it would be safer, and 27% would use it to relieve tedious driving conditions. If OEMs want to convince more buyers that autonomous driving systems are worthwhile, they need to better communicate their benefits, Mills said.
Despite car buyers’ lukewarm response to ADAS the market is expected to reach $46.2 billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 10.56% during 2023-2028 according to IMARC Group. “The growing demand for safe and efficient driving experiences and the rising government regulations and initiatives to improve road safety are some of the key factors fueling the market growth,” writes IMARC. “This is further supported by the advancements in technology, such as machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning.”
The market growth is being driven by several factors, including the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EV) and autonomous cars, as well as the increasing demand for connected cars. Additionally, the market is benefiting from the rising demand for ADAS features that assist in preventing accidents and reducing the severity of collisions, such as automatic emergency braking, collision warning systems, and lane departure warnings.
Automotive manufacturers’ investment in ADAS, the development of low-cost sensors and cameras, and the trend of shared mobility are also contributing to the market growth. Furthermore, the market is being accelerated by factors such as rising awareness among consumers about the benefits of ADAS, a focus on reducing carbon emissions, and the surging demand for ADAS in commercial vehicles. The market is also being driven by factors such as the increasing desire for improved road safety, the growing adoption of luxury vehicles, and rapid technological advancements.
Making Cars And Drivers Safe
According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the crash involvement rate for vehicles with blind-spot monitoring was 14% lower than the same models without the equipment. Forbes quotes David Braunstein, president of Together For Safer Roads as saying, “The same study suggested that if every vehicle sold in the United States in 2015 was equipped with blind-spot monitoring, 50,000 crashes and 16,000 crash injuries might have been prevented.”
Another study suggests the combination of vehicle crash avoidance technologies reduces crash frequency by about 3.5%. and, if vehicle crash avoidance technologies were deployed throughout the light-duty vehicle fleet, we could see crash prevention cost savings of up to $264 billion, assuming all relevant crashes are prevented.
“ADAS has been shown to reduce damages to property and persons, which keeps drivers on the road and able to earn,” said Bryant Greening, an attorney who cofounded LegalRideshare. “Spending a little more up-front on safety enhancements is like buying an insurance policy for when the inevitable happens. Minimizing your potential liability and damages is the name of the game.”