United Kingdom-based insurance firm Thatcham has called for all cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to be fitted with a standardised warning light to alert drivers in the event that the systems are malfunctioning, Autocar reported.
These systems, which generally include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control generally do not offer warnings if the systems are faulty and thus leaving the driver with reduced assistance, the report said. Manufacturers are being lobbied to install a uniform signal to alert the driver of any such faults in the system should they occur, said Thatcham chief technical officer Richard Billyeald.
“What we’re asking for is a standardised warning light so that, for whatever reason, if any ADAS system has reduced performance or functionality, there is a light – like if you would get if the ABS or airbag has a problem – that says, ‘go and get it looked at’,” said Billyeald. The concern arises from potential damage or misaligned sensors within the car’s bumpers, which can happen and not be known to the driver.
“Say, you park you car in a supermarket car park and someone reverses into it. If (the owner) doesn’t see any damage because the bumper has gone in and sprung back out again – because that’s what they are designed to do – there might be a radar or lidar sensor behind it that’s been pushed (out of alignment) or a bracket that has been bent,” said technical manager at the National Body Repair Association Pete Eden.
“That lidar system read 100 yards away, and it only has to be a degree or two out (of alignment) and it will be reading the road six feet ahead of the car, and you wouldn’t know,” Eden said, adding that simple bodywork repairs and certain types of metallic paint could be enough to corrupt a vehicle’s ADAS.
The bumper acts as a refractor for signals transmitted and received by the system, sort of like a satellite dish, says Eden; if this bumper has been repaired with a substantial amount of filler, the signal cannot pass through the bumper to the sensors, he says.
“The metal content of certain paints does not allow the signal to refract. Gold is the most well-known for this because of its high metallic presence, and if the vehicle has had another coat of paint, the signal might not get back (to where it should) because there’s too much paint on the bumper, he added.
The assistance systems represent a grey area for insurers, says Autocar, both regarding sufficient repair standards and establishing fault after an accident if the systems are not working.
“This year, we will be releasing what we’re calling the UK Insurance Requirement for the safe repair of vehicles with ADAS. We’ve come up with a set of requirements and rather than trying to get it written into legislation, it’s a reasonably simple route for insurers to say ‘this is what we want to see’ with repairs,” said Billyeald.
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These Thatcham guys are insurance agents and not automotive specialist. In the first place, the LIDAR and camera is in the radiator grille (some in the badge/logo) and windshield respectively and not on the bumper. If the radiator grille and LIDAR is damaged, there is sure a warning that transmits on the CAN system that AEB/ACC doesn’t function. Secondly, ADAS stands for Advanced Driver ASSISTANCE Systems. Driver still assumes main control and responsibility in an emergency situation. AEB is still better than no AEB at all (ask BMW Malaysia why it’s not in the 3 series) but ultimately it is to assist the driver prevent/mitigate a crash only even if it’s decided to function autonomously.
By the way, ask Honda Malaysia, how come no AEB for City, Jazz, HRV, BRV & Civic
Yes, I fully agree. Even for sub RM100k price range cars, we deserve AEB. Look at Perodua Myvi and new Axia high line, at least with low speed AEB. Other OEMs should follow their example. I suspect this technology will greatly reduce Body & paint repair revenue of most OEMs…
I don’t fault anyone for thinking this way, but my Myvi Advance which has AEB failed to stop an accident when the person in front of me did an emergency brake because the person in front of him did so. So we ended up in a 3-vehicle crash.
I was hopeful that AEB would prevent incidents like this, that’s why I bought the car, but it’s obvious that AEB you get in Perodua is not what you would get from something like Mercedes-Benz.