Advantages and Applications of ADAS

Relying on our five senses while driving is not always enough to avoid accidents. It is these discrepancies that were in mind when driver assistance systems were invented.

Let’s Talk Definition

In simple terms, advanced driver assistance systems are electronic systems in a vehicle designed to assist the driver, especially in matters of safety. These systems perceive information from the outside world and then take action on the recently garnered intel or give the driver an appropriate alert.

Sensors such as radar and cameras are used in perceiving information from the world around the car. There are various ways the system conveys the information it has perceived to the driver. For example, you might see warning lights on the dashboard when there is a deer or cyclist in your way when you’re backing out of your driveway.

Applications

Here are some of the most common instances of ADAS in action:

Blind Spot Monitoring

One of the most common causes of accidents is blindspots like when switching lanes on the highway. Speaking of, about 78% of lane-change accidents occur because the driver did not have a clue the lane was otherwise occupied.

Some of these systems will let you know when there is an obstruction or anything that may cause some trouble in the driver’s blind spot. The alerts may be in many forms like haptic feedback where the steering wheel vibrates or the classic warning on the Dashboard.

Systems in this application do all the detection of activity in blindspots and afterward, alert the driver of impending danger.

Parking

Don’t you just hate parallel parking? Imagine a system fitted with front-facing cameras and rearview cameras that cover every single blind spot for you. You can see a clear view of your whole environment in 4K – well, not 4K per se but you get the gist.

Sensors and cameras like the front-facing camera give you a much better view of your entire surrounding than typical side mirrors. Some systems are advanced enough to finish parking autonomously from all the data garnered from the sensors.

You can say goodbye to ruined mornings because some guy left you little to no room with another irate driver hooting incessantly at you to get out of the way.

Driver Drowsiness Detection

I know it sounds like a bit of a stretch but yes, some advanced driver assistance systems are that advanced. Systems like these pick up on little tells and alert the driver to stay on guard. For instance, the sensors could monitor a driver’s pulse rate to see if there are any signs of sleep there. Another way of knowing is by assessing a driver’s head movement.

Advantages

These advanced driver assistance systems come with a whole host of advantages concerning what they do, from adaptive features to automated adaptation of the vehicle’s safety systems.

It is on record that more than 90% of accidents are a result of human error. So, the biggest possible contribution ADAS systems bring to the world is safety by compensating for or averting said human errors.

Think of these systems as your co-pilot, or better yet, co-driver. These systems will alert you of any potential road hazard that you otherwise would not have detected.

Depending on just how complex the particular system in use is, it can take evasive action itself—like swerving to the right. Alternatively, you could get an on-screen notification to turn to the right perhaps accompanied by a vibrating steering wheel.

By immensely cutting down the chances and number of accidents, the cost of maintaining your vehicle goes down as well. It is estimated that vehicle owners will save about 6%.