Are your car's safety systems annoying: the truth behind ADAS
Cars now come with more safety features than ever, but many drivers are still using them incorrectly. We debunk the most common misconceptions...
When you think of advanced driver assistance systems – or ADAS – you might think of all the modern technologies that come with new cars, such as devices that detect your level of drowsiness, or stop you from veering into the wrong lane. However, ADAS technology has been around since the 1970s, with one of the earliest examples being anti-lock braking (ABS).
Since then, the presence of ADAS in our cars has grown massively, and it’s come to play a vital role in safety testing and preventing collisions on the road. In 2014, independent car safety assessment programme Euro NCAP began incorporating automatic emergency braking (AEB) into its tests, and broadened its scope to test a wider range of systems later in 2020 and 2023.
Under the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) legislation, it is mandatory for all new cars to come fitted with a range of ADAS technologies, including AEB. Although the UK isn’t officially aligned with this legislation, most new cars sold here are already equipped with these safety features, because it would be complex and expensive for manufacturers to engineer bespoke systems for different markets.
The impact of ADAS
From 2014 to 2024, deaths on UK roads declined by 7.4%, according to figures from the Department for Transport (DfT). The data shows that 589 fatal collisions in 2015 noted ‘ineffective observation by either the driver or rider or pedestrian’ as a contributing factor, compared with 320 in 2024. A number of ADAS functions, such as AEB and blind-spot monitoring, are designed to kick in when they detect a collision risk – often when the driver’s or another road user’s attention is diverted. A 2015 study by Euro NCAP and Australasian NCAP found a 38% reduction in real-world low-speed rear-end crashes thanks to AEB specifically.
However, statistics also suggest that a significant number of drivers choose not to use the ADAS functions fitted to their car. Research conducted last year by UK consumer organisation Which? found that more than half of the drivers it surveyed turned off at least one ADAS technology some of the time.
While ADAS functions are fitted to new cars for safety purposes, they have faced criticism for irritating warnings and intrusive interventions since their implementation. According to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned by Thatcham Research, 23% of the 1000 drivers surveyed find their ADAS distracting, annoying or intrusive. This could be because these systems can misread road signs or intervene when the driver doesn't think it’s necessary, such as by moving the steering wheel or applying the brakes.
As a result, Euro NCAP recently began an overhaul of its testing procedures, introducing on-road assessments for speed limit assistance systems, with tests for other systems due to arrive in 2029. The changes will assess how smoothly these systems operate in real-world driving, instead of just on a test track. The more accurate and less intrusive the system, the better it will score.
But there are also things that drivers can do to help their ADAS work more efficiently and in collaboration with their driving – and it starts with debunking a few misconceptions about these safety systems.
Myth: Having ADAS means I don’t have to pay as much attention while driving
One thing drivers might get wrong about ADAS is assuming these systems will drive your car for you. ADAS is rated at the second level of autonomous driving, meaning the systems can control steering and acceleration/deceleration, but the driver can – and should – take control of the car at any time.
It’s important to remember that, while helpful, the systems are not foolproof. While systems like adaptive cruise control (ACC) and LKA have become part of the furniture for many new cars, they can still feel intrusive in some situations.
“These [systems] are made to be overridden,” said Yousif Al-Ani, principal ADAS research engineer at Thatcham Research.
“When you’re using ACC, push the accelerator pedal when it starts to slow down, make that lane change a bit smoother. You’re supposed to constantly be interacting with these systems, not just push the button and sit back.”
Myth: I can rely on my car’s AEB to stop for me
While research has shown that AEB is effective when it comes to reducing collisions, it, like any other ADAS technology, is not foolproof and does not replace driver reactions.
Improvements have been made over time, but some AEB systems can be impacted by adverse weather conditions like rain, snow and fog, and may not work as effectively.
Brand new cars are likely to have more intelligent systems that can operate at higher speeds and detect vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, while some early systems could only operate at low speeds during the daytime.
It’s important to be prepared at all times to apply the brakes yourself and take action to avoid a collision.
Myth: Lane-keep assist will stop me from drifting
Lane-keep assist (LKA) systems use cameras to detect the lines on the road separating lanes and warn the driver if they start drifting over them with a visual and/or audible alert. Some systems will even tug the steering wheel to move the car back into position.
Naturally, though, there are many variables in everyday driving that go beyond the limitations of LKA technology. For example, it may not work where lane markers on the road have faded or are covered by snow or dirt. It may also become confused by unconventional roads, such as unusually wide or narrow roads or where the lane markings are complicated.
Like AEB, lane-keep assist can also be affected by poor weather conditions, and become less effective at detecting real risks. This is why it’s crucial to stay vigilant at all times and not rely on LKA to keep your car from drifting out of lane.
Myth: Adaptive cruise control will automatically adjust my speed for me
While adaptive cruise control can adjust your speed and keep you below the speed limit, it doesn’t always account for sudden hazards – such as if another car pulls in front of you suddenly.
Older systems might also not be suited to stop-start traffic, and this could mean you have to deactivate them frequently.
Much like other ADAS, bad weather can affect the effectiveness of adaptive cruise control, as rain, hail, fog or snow can reduce the ability of the car’s sensors to properly detect other traffic.
The future of ADAS
Most ADAS fit into the ‘level two’ sector of autonomy – so it only makes sense that we can expect them to move up those levels in the coming years. In fact, we’ve already seen the beginning stages of these developments as manufacturers continue to work on self-driving technology.
The UK Government has invested heavily in the future of autonomous vehicles, with the aim of having self-driving cars on our roads as early as this year – though mostly for taxi services initially. Recently it provided funding for testing to be carried out between a tech campus in Cambridgeshire and a nearby railway station to simulate the commute to work, according to a report by the BBC.
Manufacturers are also investing time and money into their own programmes. Recently, we went for a ride in a self-driving Nissan Ariya, which had been optimised to navigate even some of Tokyo’s busiest roads, using a range of sensors, including lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors and camera feeds, and an AI system developed by UK company Wayve. We found it behaved the way you’d expect of a capable and careful driver, though it lacked the natural assertiveness an experienced driver would have.
To reach the point of full autonomy, though, it’s important that manufacturers continuously develop and refine the more common ADAS we find in vehicles today. In particular, newer systems like driver monitoring and intelligent speed assist will no doubt improve over time as work towards self-driving cars continues and more data is collected. In the same way that older technologies like AEB and LKA were irritating for some drivers at first, these new functions will become less aggravating as they become more competent.
“When lane-keep systems were [first] mandated and when they did come in [under Euro] NCAP, they were too trigger-happy,” said Al-Ani. “Over a few years, because of driver feedback, that’s coming right down across the market. You can’t pick up any 2025 car that behaves in that way.
“Things like the false alert rate you see in some cars with driver monitoring – that’s not going to exist in the market for long.”
On top of that, everyday drivers becoming fully accustomed to the current ADAS in their vehicles will be a key factor in the transition to self-driving tech.
“When you look at some of the evidence, people are quite relaxed with the idea of having an autonomous vehicle do everything for them,” said Nicholas Lyes, policy and standards director at IAM RoadSmart. “But I think the reason why they're cool is because they don't really understand what it is that they can do.
“If you're in a position where a vehicle is partially automated or has a lot of the good driver assistance systems, then by utilising those, people can become familiar with the sorts of things that technology can do inside the vehicle.”
Part of the resistance towards ADAS and fully autonomous vehicles might come from those who are keen drivers and don’t like the idea of the more enjoyable parts of driving being taken over by their cars. However, full autonomy for all cars is still a long way down the line – and experts argue the development of ADAS is crucial to improve road safety across the country.
“Let's fast forward many years into the future where we've got autonomous vehicles on the road. There will probably be a thriving market for people that want to utilise a car in a traditional way where they've got control,” said Lyes.
“But at the same time, we have to take very seriously the fact that there were over 1600 people that were killed on our roads in Great Britain in 2024. And those are the sorts of statistics that would never be accepted in aviation; they'd never be accepted in rail. Why are they accepted on the road? Technology is going to play a vital role in helping make sure that we're all safer.”
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