By European regulations, from July 1, 2022, all newly manufactured vehicles must have various driving assistance technologies as part of their standard equipment. They are the so-called ADAS Systems (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems), devices that almost half of drivers do not know how they work and another half do not believe they are effective.
Fesvial and Bosch have published the results of their sociological study “Knowledge of ADAS systems by the Spanish population” which is part of the VIDAS project (road safety and ADAS).
The fundamental objective of this analysis is to determine the degree of knowledge, beliefs, preconceived ideas and level of equipment that the driving population has about ADAS systems and their relationship with road safety. To, later, establish measures and actions that improve knowledge about its effectiveness, usability, repair, maintenance, legislation and mandatory nature.
40% of drivers do not know how ADAS systems work
According to the report, more than 40% of the Spanish driver population acknowledges that they do not have sufficient knowledge about ADAS systems. The remaining 60%, although they claim to know them, when asked for an in-depth definition, show large gaps, as well as confusion between different systems and their functions.
This lack of knowledge is due, in part, to the fact that driving assistance technology is not usually one of the arguments most explained by sellers when they talk about the advantages of one car over another.
The most unknown ADAS for the Spaniards are the most innovative or recent: signal detection, fatigue detection, crossing assistant and warning of driver in the opposite direction, while the best known are, in general, the most equipped.
Almost half of drivers do not trust ADAS
Perhaps it is the result of this lack of knowledge that a high percentage of drivers do not have much confidence in the safety they can offer.
In this regard, the report reveals that:
- 34% are not convinced that driving a car with ADAS systems is safer
- 40% think that ADAS systems will not respond adequately to dangerous driving situations
- 50% are not clear that ADAS systems act better than them in a risk situation, when 90% of accidents are due to human error
- 70% do not trust ADAS systems to be smart enough to ensure driver safety
- 30% are convinced that ADAS systems do not contribute to reducing crashes or their severity
They are not a reason to buy
Another of the conclusions of the report by Fesvial and Bosch on the perception that drivers have of ADAS systems is that, at the moment, they are not a key factor when choosing a new car.
“The equipment of ADAS systems in vehicles is considered a secondary value, with little weight, when purchasing a new vehicle”, explain those responsible for the report.
Repair and breakdowns
In the event of having to carry out a repair or maintenance operation that affects an ADAS system, drivers consider the official workshop as the main option and their usual workshop as the second option.
However, 35% of the population surveyed are unaware of the need to recalibrate sensors and cameras after an accident or a windshield replacement to ensure that everything works as originally and that the systems do not process erroneous information and make decisions that may be dangerous.