Top 4 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: What Are They & How Can They Protect You?

Once available only on high-end luxury vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have become commonplace on a growing number of affordable vehicles in recent years.

Like seat belts and airbags, ADAS technologies are designed to keep vehicle occupants safe. ADAS technologies, however, are all about preventing a collision in the first place, so that your seat belts and airbags never get a chance to do their job.

So the next time you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle, consider whether the added protection offered by ADAS is worth investing in. If you’re not sure what to look for, or what the various ADAS technologies do, here’s a brief overview of just a few of the more popular systems now available.

Keep in mind, however, that manufacturers tend to use fancy proprietary names to describe some of these technologies, which means that you might have to ask what the ADAS technology they’re advertising actually does.

Automatic Emergency Braking

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) uses sensors or cameras located at the front of the vehicle to keep an eye on the road ahead. Once a vehicle or an obstacle is spotted, AEB sounds an audible and visual alert in order to draw the driver’s attention to the fact that they need to take immediate action in order to avoid hitting something.

If the driver reacts in time, the alert turns off. If the driver doesn’t, the system is designed to apply the brakes automatically in order to avoid a collision, or to reduce the speed of the vehicle as much as possible in order to limit the force of the impact.

Some AEB technologies are designed not only to spot another vehicle or an obstacle, but to keep an eye out for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycles. Some AEB systems also work when reversing a vehicle.

Adaptive Cruise Control

Unlike the cruise control systems of the past that simply maintained a set speed until the driver intervened by either applying the brakes or hitting the accelerator, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is able to speed up and slow down in order to keep pace with the flow of traffic without driver intervention.

Modern ACC systems allow you to set a speed as well as the distance you want to maintain from the vehicle ahead of you. If that vehicle slows down, so will you, thereby maintaining the set distance. If the vehicle speeds up, so will you, until you reach your set speed.

Some ACC systems will actually slow your vehicle down to a stop if the vehicle ahead comes to a stop (as is typical in heavy traffic situations) and then start the vehicle moving once traffic starts moving again. These systems are often referred to as full-speed adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability. Other systems will disengage once you reach a dead stop and you’ll have to press the accelerator or a button on the steering wheel to get going again.

Lane Departure Warning

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems prevent the vehicle from wandering out of its lane. This can happen when the driver is tired or distracted. With LDW, cameras keep an eye on the lane markings on the pavement, and when LDW sees that the vehicle is getting too close to either side of the lane, it alerts the driver to stay within the lane.

The alert could be an alarm, a flashing light, or in some cases a vibrating steering wheel or driver’s seat cushion. Some systems will also gently steer the vehicle back into its lane, which can be referred to as Lane-Keep Assist (LKA).

LDW only sounds the alarm when the system perceives that a lane change was not intended. If you activate your turn indicator (as one should when changing lanes), the system will conclude that you really do intend to move out of your lane, in which case no alert is sounded.

Unfortunately, the technology will not work on roads that are snow-covered or on roads where the lane markings are not clear or missing.

Blind Spot Warning

As the name implies, Blind Spot Warning (BSW) systems keep an eye on your blind spots, and alert you to the presence of another vehicle in one of your blind spots. A light, typically on or near the side mirrors, turns on to tell you that there’s a vehicle in your blind spot. If you don’t notice the light, and you put on your turn indicator as you plan a lane change, then that light will start flashing and an audible alarm will alert you to the fact that a lane change is not a good idea.

Some of the newer BSW systems will even tell you that there’s a vehicle in your trailer’s blind spot, if you’re towing one.

Some vehicle manufacturers employ this same sensor technology to provide “Cross-Traffic Alerts” when backing up. For example, if you’re backing out of a parking spot or a driveway, but can’t see what’s approaching from the left or the right behind your vehicle, the sensors will detect the movement of the approaching vehicle (or pedestrian), and will sound an alert to let you know that it’s not safe to back up.

Depending on the system, the vehicle might even be equipped to brake on its own to prevent you from backing into oncoming traffic, or accidentally running over a pedestrian or cyclist. Some systems also offer “Junction Assist,” which will alert you if you’re turning left and there might be incoming cars that you can’t see.

It’s important to note that these systems are not meant to replace safe, attentive, mindful, and responsible driving. Never rely solely on these systems to keep you safe.