Autoglass identifies ADAS blind spots

UK fleet knowledge is struggling to keep up with the pace of change in vehicle technology, according to new research from Autoglass.

Some 27% of fleet managers acknowledge a lack of awareness about how Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology works as their biggest challenge. Meanwhile, 16% say they face challenges with drivers choosing to switch off ADAS-enabled safety feature due to annoyance.

Of concern is that 20% of ADAS-enabled car fleets and 15% of van fleets admit that they do not include ADAS calibration as part of their checks during vehicle repair and maintenance (17% overall).

The survey of 250 British fleet managers found that just over a third (34%) of the vehicles in car and van fleets have some ADAS-enabled safety features, such as autonomous emergency braking and lane deviation warnings. Some 29% of all car fleets and 40% of all van and light commercial fleet vehicles are estimated to be ADAS-enabled based on the research findings.

Jeremy Rochfort, national sales manager at Autoglass said, ‘The pace at which ADAS is being taken up by UK fleets is incredible, even taking in to consideration that commercial fleet vehicles are on average much newer than vehicles across UK car parc as a whole. As recently as 2015 just over two per cent of windscreen replacements performed by Autoglass needed ADAS calibration but this figure continues to rise dramatically.

‘The aftermarket has a crucial role to play in supporting commercial fleets who have introduced ADAS into their vehicles and ensure they are getting the correct advice about calibration. Our findings that one in six car and van fleet managers are not building ADAS into their maintenance and repair schedule is worrying enough, but we believe this figure is probably higher in reality due to assumptions that it is included in standard checks, which is not the case. Our own primary research last year identified gaps in expertise across the market, which we have been working with partners such as Thatcham and Brake to address and will continue to work to raise awareness.’