All Driver Assistance Systems Explained

Driver assistance systems make driving safer and more comfortable. These modern technological marvels help you avoid accidents and maintain control over your vehicle, even in difficult weather conditions and terrain. The development is progressing towards autonomous driving, where the vehicle drives, steers, and brakes on its own while you can sit back and relax. In this article, we at CARIFY will tell you what is already possible today – and give an outlook on future developments.

Overview of Important Driver Assistance Systems in Cars

While cruise control or the lane-keeping system ESP are almost standard nowadays, other systems are often only available as optional extras. Here, you will learn which driver assistance systems are particularly recommended.

Emergency Brake Assistant

The Emergency Brake Assistant (ANB) is a safety system with a distance warning that:

• warns the driver of insufficient distances to other objects,

• automatically brakes or initiates an emergency stop.

Lane Keeping Assistant

The Lane Keeping Assistant (LKA) uses infrared technology or cameras to detect lane markings, guardrails, and oncoming vehicles. It alerts you to an unintended lane departure with a warning signal.

Intelligent Speed Assistant

The Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) system helps drivers comply with speed limits, improving safety and traffic flow for everyone.

Adaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses a sensor at the front of your vehicle to measure the distance to the car ahead, adjusting your speed to ensure you have enough braking distance in an emergency.

Parking Assistance

Parking assistance makes parking in tight spaces easy and safe. Rearview cameras and sensors provide warnings or visual displays on a screen, showing how much space you have to maneuver.

Fatigue Detection

The fatigue detection system, also known as driver attention monitoring (DDAW), analyzes your driving behavior. It detects signs of fatigue based on erratic steering movements, speed, and sometimes even eye movement detection, warning you to take a break.

Turn Assistant

This assistant, used in buses and trucks, helps avoid accidents caused by blind spots when turning. Sensors or cameras detect cyclists and pedestrians and warn the driver acoustically or visually. Some systems even initiate automatic braking.

New and Future Developments

The next major development in driver assistance systems is connected vehicles. But what does that mean?

• Telematics: Telematics systems monitor and analyze vehicle data such as location, speed, and maintenance needs in real-time.

• Advanced Sensors: LiDAR, radar, and cameras provide a comprehensive picture of the surroundings.

• Communication: Vehicles exchange relevant data with other vehicles (V2V – Vehicle to Vehicle) or infrastructure (V2I – Vehicle to Infrastructure), receiving information about traffic, weather conditions, or road conditions.

• Safety Features: Advanced driver assistance systems enhance safety and help prevent accidents.

• Artificial Intelligence: AI supports driver assistance systems in making the right decisions in critical situations.

• Automation: Some technologies already enable semi-automated driving today.

• Infotainment Systems: Seamless connectivity to smartphones and other devices ensures entertainment for passengers while on the road.

Autonomous Driving

Autonomous driving means that cars move through traffic without human intervention. This is achieved through sensors, telematics, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence, which provide the onboard computer with a comprehensive picture of the environment outside the vehicle, automatically adjusting the vehicle’s route, steering, and speed, and responding to current traffic conditions.

There are six levels of autonomous driving:

1. Unassisted Driving: The driver handles all control functions themselves, including steering, braking, and accelerating.

2. Assisted Driving: Various assistance systems, such as distance warnings or cruise control, support the driver.

3. Semi-Automated Driving: Multiple assistance systems work together, such as traffic sign recognition combined with cruise control, which automatically adjusts speed.

4. Highly Automated Driving: In traffic jams and other situations, the car drives independently. The driver can watch a movie during this time but must be able to intervene at any time.

5. Fully Automated Driving: The vehicle drives completely autonomously in sections where this is allowed. The driver must always be able to take over if the vehicle signals that it can no longer handle the traffic situation safely.

6. Autonomous Driving: In the future, vehicles will no longer need human drivers – they will be able to read, watch TV, or even sleep. The driver can fully rely on the car to handle all situations safely.

Autonomous driving is still a vision for the future – with significant hurdles in terms of safety and data protection – but first test phases are already underway.

Advantages and Challenges of Driver Assistance Systems

While there are many benefits, using modern driver assistance systems also comes with some risks.

Safety Aspects

Emergency brake assistants, lane-keeping assistants, or adaptive cruise control contribute to accident prevention and traffic safety. The more vehicles equipped with this smart technology, the more positively it impacts traffic flow as a whole.

Comfort and Convenience

Driving with assistance systems increases comfort, which is a safety-relevant advantage on long trips. In traffic jams, you are less stressed and arrive more relaxed after long drives. Thanks to infotainment systems, fidgety children are a thing of the past. Additionally, fuel efficiency improves through automatically adjusted driving behavior and speed.

Possible Risks and Problems

Safety comes at a price – and every additional assistant in the car increases the cost. It's important to individually weigh which assistance systems are really necessary.

However, if drivers rely too heavily on technology, they may react too late in an emergency or lose the habit of paying attention to their surroundings. This can be disastrous if the technology fails.

If an accident occurs despite assistance systems, legal problems may arise: human error or technical fault?

Not all technology is perfect yet. In certain situations and lighting conditions, an assistance system can sometimes react incorrectly, causing collisions.

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Conclusion

Modern driver assistance systems increase comfort and safety in your car. They monitor your driving style and warn you of signs of fatigue, assist with parking, or provide entertainment on long trips. In traffic jams, they relieve you by taking over the starting and stopping. Even the dream of autonomous driving could soon become a reality. Many assistants are already standard, while others can be retrofitted at an additional cost. Want to know which investment is worthwhile? With CARIFY's car subscription, you can test the latest technology without commitment.

FAQ

What driver assistance systems are there?

The most common of the many driver assistance systems are aimed at driving safety. These include:

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Ensures a safe distance to the vehicle in front and adjusts the speed.

• Emergency Brake Assistant: Automatically initiates an emergency stop to avoid or reduce collisions.

• Lane Keeping Assistant: Warns of unintended lane departure and corrects by gently steering in the opposite direction.

• Blind Spot Assistant: Warns the driver of vehicles in the blind spot during lane changes.

• Parking Assistant: Automatically maneuvers your car into a parking space.

• Traffic Sign Recognition: Reads road signs and informs you about speed limits, stop signs, right of way, etc.

• Driver Monitoring System: Detects signs of fatigue or distraction and warns you in time so that you can take a break or refocus on the road.

What does a driver assistance system do?

The smart technology not only monitors and scans the surroundings but also your driving style. Some systems alert you to dangers with acoustic and/or visual signals, while others intervene in the driving process by braking, steering, or adjusting speed. The assistants use cameras, radar, and sensors to give you insights where a blind spot might otherwise pose a danger.

Which driver assistance systems are mandatory?

Since July 6, 2022, EU-type approval regulations apply in Switzerland. New cars must have certain driver assistance systems on board to be approved. These include:

• Reversing Detection (RD)

• Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA)

• Driver Attention Monitoring (DDAW)

• Standardized interface for retrofitting an alcohol interlock

• Black Box (Event Data Recorder EDR)

• Reversing Detection (RD)

• Protection against cyberattacks

Passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and campers up to 3.5 tons must also have:

• Emergency Brake Assistant with Pedestrian Emergency Braking System (AEBS + ESS, City-Safety)

• Emergency Lane Keeping Assistant (LKA, Lane Departure Avoidance LDA, Lane Departure Protection LDP)

For heavy motor vehicles and campers over 3.5 tons, the following are required:

• Blind Spot Assistant

• Collision Warning System for Pedestrians and Cyclists (Blind Spot Information System for the detection of Bicycles BSIS)

Which driver assistance systems will be mandatory from 2024?

From June 2024, new cars of all types and classes