I’m amazed at how much vehicle electronics have changed our everyday world. I was recently driving a newer rented Nissan Altima in Seattle and noticed how much the greenery and mountain scenery were taking my attention from driving.
As I was gazing at all that beauty, I realized how much I was relying on the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features, such as lane departure warning (LDW)/lane keep assist (LKA), since the roads in Seattle are not known for being very straight. Every time I wandered to the right or left, I got a gentle vibration warning that I was wandering out of my lane. This, along with the blind spot warning alerting me of vehicles in the adjacent lane while going down the freeway, brought me to the conclusion that, like anybody visiting any new city or area, this was probably typical: drivers being distracted.
What really impressed me with my rental car was how well the lane departure system was operating in the rain — especially at night. I took a brief trip to the mountains to see the first snow and was also amazed at how well the LKA/LDW was working in snowy conditions. These systems were much more effective and accurate over older models I’ve driven.
I’ll admit that, when driving, I’ve become dependent (like so many other drivers) on all these safety features and how well they work. With the improvements in ADAS systems, it’s understandable that safety advocates will push for more to be required.
This is not new information, as all of the studies I’ve seen from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and other organizations show that these ADAS features have proven to reduce or prevent the number of collisions and/or injuries caused in collisions. Many thought these systems were unnecessary and an expense that was not warranted. But just like when airbags were introduced in vehicles and thrust the repair industry into a state of confusion, we all adjusted and learned that these vehicle safety systems were necessary to protect us from ourselves when we were on the road.
I doubt if anyone reading this can say they’ve never been distracted while driving. I’ll also bet that many people reading this article have had a warning from their vehicle or vehicle reaction that either caused you as a driver to react or the vehicle to steer itself to prevent a collision.
But it’s not just distracted driving that concerns safety experts. While driving down Interstate 5, I observed a pickup towing a trailer. The load was obviously not correct, as the trailer was swaying side to side. The effect this driver was having on the drivers of the surrounding vehicles — making nervous that he was about to lose control — was obvious, as people were changing lanes and doing everything they could to avoid being near this vehicle. This chaos was making it difficult for many drivers to navigate, and you could see that the more time that passed with this dangerous situation, the odds of something happening were increasing. Luckily, I was in the far lane and was able to get around the pickup quickly. This really taught me the value of the engineer who designed the trailer sway control and the fact that what we may see as a not-so-important feature can have a very big effect on our roadways. My point is that while you may feel some of these features are unnecessary, they actually are necessary when it comes to the drivers around you. Completing all repairs and verifying correct operation does make a difference on every system and every vehicle that we as an industry repair.
Many are still learning the importance of repairing vehicles correctly and verifying that proper repairs are completed with calibrations done to OEM specifications — and also why it must be done. With AI and improvements in sensor designs as well as better algorithms, the repair processes and need for calibrations will increase. New technology and the ways to prevent even more collisions and/or tragedies are being developed every day. You can spend hours today on YouTube watching dashcam videos from drivers causing or being in crashes to the point where it becomes painfully true that not all drivers are careful 100% of the time. New technologies will help to reduce or prevent some of these incidents we all hear about or see in the media.
Drinking and driving still plagues all countries. According to the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, drunk driving is still the No. 1 cause of fatalities in the U.S. Claiming 10,000 lives per year and approximately $194 billion in related costs, there has been technology recently released and tested in many states that may prevent drivers from operating a vehicle. There are two principles of operation:
According to Joe Biden’s Investment and Infrastructure and Jobs Act, by 2025, all new cars will have advanced alcohol monitoring technology. With the integration of this cutting-edge technology, vehicles made in 2026 and after won’t just be about speed or luxury; they will prioritize safety at an unprecedented level. Check out a video on how the system operates at dadss.org.
Driver Emergency Assist
We’ve all made the mistake of getting behind the wheel despite knowing we’re tired and fallen victim to drowsy driving. However, there are now new ADAS features that detect drowsy drivers or those who have suffered a medical emergency and will take control of the vehicle, starting a series of events to safely pull the vehicle over.
Through the steering wheel, the vehicle detects that the driver is not steering. This will initiate some pulsating braking to “wake the driver up.” If no response is sensed in the steering wheel, the vehicle will initiate emergency lights and use LKA and the blindspot system to begin slowing the vehicle down, navigating to a safe location on the side of the road and notifying emergency services. Volkswagen has some great videos on its website demonstrating these IQ Drive Emergency Assist features.
These are only a few of the existing features out there or new features that will be coming out soon. As we’re all seeing and reading about, vehicle manufacturers are increasing the number of safety systems and building them on top of existing electronic blueprints. Shops will need to be constantly learning and training to keep up with the technology.
All of these new safety features have presented an interesting situation for the repair industry, as we’ve all been learning that one safety system depends on many others to operate correctly. A single component that is not functioning correctly or is not calibrated correctly may affect multiple systems. This also stresses the need to be sure all repairs of the vehicle and calibrations are done to OEM specifications. You may not realize through the repair process how much impact even minor details may have on how a vehicle system operates. Skipping what you may deem an insignificant step in a process could lead to hours of headaches.
The integration of the sensors from all the systems and the need for correct data flow from these sensors into the vehicle’s algorithm is critical to how a vehicle will react to hazards (and now driver situations) to prevent the vehicle from being driven — and protect other vehicles on the roadway. Keeping up and keeping informed will be the norm for everyone in the automotive repair industry. Reading and following the service information for each year, make and model will also be standard for all repairs as repair information is constantly updating.
The first and most important aspect to starting a calibration business from scratch is knowing your customer.
A given in the repair industry is that the world of vehicle electronics keeps changing. With change, new challenges reveal themselves in the automotive repair industry every day that reshape how we look at vehicles and repair them. This is not only apparent in the collision and auto glass industries but also mechanical and trucking/transportation.
When it comes to ADAS calibrations, there is more learning ahead for all of us … and more frustration.
When performing static and dynamic calibrations, the details matter much more than we realize.
Where do you find answers when DTCs appear, and how do you fix the issue?
How much space you have in your shop will determine which calibrations can be completed.
The Tru-Point calibration system verifies ADAS-related wheel alignment values and closely monitors each step of the setup process to help ensure OEM safety standards are met before calibration begins.
The survey found 73% of pro technicians struggle with OEM data access and rising repair complexity in smart vehicles.
The MaxiHVAC AC909 is a four-port manifold system designed to bring skill, understanding and precision back to HVAC diagnostics.
The new ADAS integration within Direct-Hit gives technicians direct access to OEM-specific procedures, calibration requirements and component data — all within a single, intuitive interface.
The information source for the collision repair industry.
