Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) - Working, Levels & Features

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) is a combination of software and hardware in vehicles, designed to enhance driving safety and the overall driving experience. It focuses on preventive and assistive driving techniques, improving a driver’s reaction time in unexpected situations and reducing the risk of accidents.

ADAS can be categorized into three key areas:

• Driver Assistance
• Accident Prevention
• Road Safety

Driver assistance includes lane tracking, accident prevention through blind spot monitoring, and road safety via active cruise control. While there are many more features, it actively works in safeguarding the lives onboard while keeping you informed.

What is ADAS in cars?

ADAS, with the help of cameras, radars, and sensors, actively scans the surrounding area to notify you or, in certain circumstances, take temporary control to avoid a mishap. It improves driver safety with a seat belt reminder system and an overspeeding warning system while protecting passengers with blind spot monitoring and pedestrians with an active braking system.

As ADAS continues to evolve, emerging technologies like vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) integration are being developed to further enhance safety.

Levels of ADAS

The following is the basic framework of ADAS levels, categorized by features and automation, as regulated by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

The levels are as follows:

• Level 0 - No driving automation: Limited to providing momentarily warning and momentary assistance like automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning etc.

• Level 1 - Driver assistance: Provides steering or brake acceleration like lane centring or adaptive cruise control.

• Level 2 - Partial driving automation: Provides steering and brake acceleration both like lane centering and adaptive cruise control at the same time.

• Level 3 - Conditional driving automation: Must drive when feature request, or else it can drive automatically under limited conditions like traffic jam chauffeur.

• Level 4 - High driving automation: Automated driving under limited conditions like local driverless taxis where pedals/ steering might be missing.

• Level 5 - Full driving automation: Same as level 4 but this feature can drive anywhere in all conditions which is a completely automated car.

While features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), and Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA) enhance safety, they do not qualify as autonomous driving technologies.

(Fun fact: ADAS can also contribute to better fuel efficiency!)

How does the ADAS system work?

ADAS integrates software (AI, algorithms, and control modules) with hardware (LiDAR, cameras, radars, and sensors) to enhance vehicle safety. For example, if a driver unintentionally drifts out of their lane, the Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system detects lane markings and alerts them to steer back.

The below are the hardware and software-integrated examples of the ADAS system to help you understand how it works:

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)

It detects obstacles and applies brakes automatically to prevent collisions.

Sensors Used: Radar, Camera

Integration Level: Level 2

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Maintains a safe distance from the vehicle ahead by adjusting speed.

Sensors Used: Radar, Camera

Integration Level: Level 2

Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)

Automatically steers the vehicle back into the lane if drifting is detected.

Sensors Used: Camera, Steering Sensors

Integration Level: Level 2

Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)

Warns the driver of vehicles in blind spots during lane changes.

Sensors Used: Radar, Ultrasonic Sensors

Integration Level: Level 2

Features of ADAS

ADAS comes with a range of preventive and driver assistance technologies. To understand its evolution, we can compare it to the smartphone industry—many features we enjoy today weren’t available in the early 2000s, but technological advancements made them commonplace. Similarly, ADAS features are evolving, balancing cost-effectiveness with improved safety.

The three basic features—Seat Belt Reminder (SBR), manual override for the central locking system, and an overspeed warning system are mandated by the Government of India for M1 category vehicles.

(M1 category being a vehicle having 4 wheels, designed for passenger transport having maximum seating capacity of 9.)

Some commonly used ADAS safety features include:

• Lane departure warning: Helps you stay in your lane with alerts displayed on the system screen.

• Blind spot monitoring: Uses radar and beeps to alert the driver of sudden lane changes or nearby vehicles.

• Adaptive cruise control: It actively decelerates or stabilizes the speed of a car under high speed performance or necessary conditions.

• Forward collision warning: The system beeps on identification of object, car or any other substance upon arriving within its safety range.

• Rear cross traffic alert: Helps drivers via audible warning if vehicles or unknown objects are detected while reversing the car.

• Driver drowsiness detection: Alerts owner/driver via screen warning or beeps if the driver is found in a sleepy state.

How effective is ADAS in Indian roads?

Basic statistics indicate that 1,68,491 fatalities occurred out of an average of 4.5 lakh accidents in India.While over speeding is identified as the single most factor, accounting for about 72.3% of road accidents and 71.2% of road deaths in 2022.

Despite road development initiatives by the Government of India, road safety remains a major challenge. ADAS can be your major aid in keeping you and your family members safe while on a journey. It can significantly reduce accidents, provided that drivers adopt safe driving habits alongside its use.

Thus, while ADAS is effective, it must cope with India’s road conditions and driving behaviors. It works best when drivers remain alert and take timely action.

Best ADAS Cars in India

While most of the ADAS features are available in premium cars in India there is a changing trend of ADAS, many automakers have integrated ADAS into mid-range and premium car models. Many companies like Hyundai, Tata, Innova, and Kia have introduced ADAS features in their mid range segment.

The following table represents the best ADAS cars in India:

The Future of ADAS system in vehicles

The Indian automotive market is rapidly adopting ADAS, especially in mid-range vehicles, with companies like BYD entering the market and Tesla expected to enter soon.

With the rise of Electric Vehicles (EVs), concerns remain about battery safety and the risk of fire, especially given India's large vehicle population and production scale.

Although research is being conducted to understand patterns of lithium battery consumption before it disrupts and catches fire using AI and additionally, silicon-based heat-resistant materials are being developed to prevent fires from affecting ADAS systems.

ADAS capabilities in India can improve with in-house research, patent development, and AI integration, paving the way for a more autonomous future—provided road infrastructure also advances.

Summary

ADAS is one of the prominent features of a car, while vehicle driving experience and mileage matters, so does the awareness of ADAS features and safety ranking to ensure the safety of family and loved ones.

Think of ADAS as an internal safety feature and insurance as an essential protection package. Getting the right car insurance coverage and ADAS features is crucial when buying a car, both will help you in mitigating risk and keeping you safe.

Thus, ADAS and car insurance go hand in hand while you are deciding your dream car.

Frequently Asked Questions