Technology

Mandatory Adas systems on new cars: what they are and why they are needed

New EU legislation requires mandatory adoption of Adas systems in cars. Find out what they are and why they are important for road safety

by Federico Cociancich

17 June 2024Articolo aggiornato il 7 luglio 2024

5' min read

Key points

A standard with several application steps
Next steps
Mandatory systems from 7 July
Many good points but some concerns
The consequences for the car market

5' min read

As of 7 July 2024, an EU regulation comes into force that makes certain Adas mandatory and requires the adoption of specific safety criteria for all cars on sale.

Research estimates that more than 90 per cent of road accidents are caused by human error and only 5 per cent by problems with vehicle operation. Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) not only improve the driving experience but also make it safer, which is why the European Union has stipulated the mandatory integration of some of these systems in new cars.

Until recently, most of these systems were only available on high-end cars and as expensive options. This legislation aims to significantly reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on EU roads by making advanced safety technologies mandatory as standard equipment in all vehicles. Furthermore, the aim is to improve the competitiveness of European manufacturers in the global market by providing an initial legislative framework for automated and fully autonomous vehicles. In other words, the basis for autonomous driving is being created.

A standard with several stages of application

The date of adoption is imminent but the standard was launched a good five years ago, it is in fact EU Regulation 2019/2144 on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles, which included several steps for its implementation. The first step was in July 2022, from which date every car must have certain safety-related driver assistance systems in order to obtain type approval in Europe. Manufacturers, however, had two years to adapt their already type-approved cars, but not all of them were worth it. In order to update the type approval, the cars had to be adapted in terms of both adas and structural and IT safety: not an easy and sometimes costly process. It is precisely the latter that are the most critical elements that, in fact, have made it uneconomic to update certain models of cars such as the Porsche Macan, the Ypsilon, the Fiat 500X, the Panda, the Dacia Duster, the Smart ForTwo, the Mitsubishi Space Star and the Subaru BRZ: some models have been replaced by a new one, others have simply reached the end of their life cycle (Fiat has chosen to 'abandon' the 500X also because of an overlap with the design of the new 600).

Next steps

From 7 January 2026, type approval will also require cars to be equipped with an extended head impact absorption zone, a pedestrian leg and head protection system and advanced emergency braking systems for pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle (for this last device the deadline is 7 July 2026). But that's not all, by July 2027 the European Commission will assess the effectiveness of the adopted safety measures and systems and indicate any new modifications.

Mandatory systems from 7 July

To pass European type approval, all new vehicles must be equipped with the following safety systems:

Intelligent Speed Adaptation. Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) is the evolution of adaptive cruise control and integrates the reading of traffic signs. In practice, the system reads road signs indicating the speed limit and signals this to the driver, who is still free to exceed the limit, but is alerted by an acoustic and visual signal.

Interface for the breathalyser. This does not mean that the installation of a breathalyser is now compulsory: at the moment, it is only necessary to install an interface for the operation of the alcolock, i.e. the electronic device that reads the driver's blood alcohol level and prevents the vehicle from being started in the event of an abnormal value.

Attention and fatigue monitoring. Every car must integrate devices that, depending on certain parameters such as the position of the hands on the steering wheel or the movement of the steering wheel, detect whether the driver is active and alert or needs a break. Rather strangely, EU regulations exclude the use of blink detection systems because the camera would have to frame the driver's face, thus contravening privacy directives. So if you fall asleep while driving and keep the steering wheel straight, there is a risk that the system will not notice.

Emergency stop signal. This is one of the most important assistance systems: vehicles must integrate technology that automatically detects the risk of a head-on collision with vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists. The system first warns the driver with a sound, a message on the dashboard or by vibrating the steering wheel; if the driver does not react, the brakes are automatically activated. In addition, when braking is activated, the rear brake lights should flash automatically.

Object and pedestrian detection in reverse. When reversing, the system must warn of the presence of people, cyclists and objects. The regulations do not specify which technology should be used, but most manufacturers have now chosen to use ultrasonic sensors and cameras.

Recording of event data. The car must be able to record specific events, such as speed, before, during and after a collision. The black box cannot be deactivated and is not accessible to users but only to the police.

Lane Keeping. Another safety-critical system is the one that, by acting on the steering and brakes, keeps the car on track even in the event of driver illness or driver drowsiness.

Tire pressure monitor. Tyre pressure monitoring systems from the English Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) have been part of the standard equipment for several years now; initially they used pressure sensors on the valves, but today they are able to determine the tyre pressure via data from the ABS control unit.

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Many plus points but some concerns

Users in our country are always rather reluctant to imposed restrictions, just remember the reluctance when it came to adopting seat belts, but it is a fact that adas increase safety on the road for drivers and pedestrians. Some adas intervene when we are distracted and can literally save lives, such as in anti-collision and emergency braking systems, but also in pedestrian detection and even parking sensors if there is a child behind us that we cannot see from the mirrors.

There was no indication of any standards in terms of technologies to be adopted, usability or user interface: regardless of their effectiveness, some systems are intuitive, others are decidedly complex to use and activate and this can be a problem, especially considering rental and sharing.

Al Ces2023 le vetture senza conducente fra speranze e problemi

The consequences for the car market

The compulsory adoption of adas was one of the elements that led to price increases in recent years, but it was by no means the only one. To a large extent it was the long wave of major organisational difficulties worldwide that affected the entire component supply chain, and the chip crisis, which began in 2020, continued to make its effects felt until the end of 2022. Anyone expecting interesting offers on cars without adas, at least at the moment, has been disappointed: it is already two years since the cars met the new rules, the car manufacturers have had plenty of time to calibrate production and still have 12 months of exemption to sell the models already produced.