There is a new acronym in the automotive world: ADAS. It stands for ‘advanced driver assistance systems’, and it is gradually becoming more important to more people. If you plan to buy a new car at any time in the near future, you would do well to familiarize yourself with ADAS and its implications.

What It Is

ADAS is that collection of electronic systems that assist drivers behind the wheel. The systems make use of advanced electronics including sensors and microchips to assist drivers for the purposes of making the roads safer. ADAS is being aggressively developed by car manufacturers for the simple reason that most car accidents are caused by human error.

Here are a few examples of ADAS you might recognize:

• Park Assist – A car equipped with park assist technology can essentially park itself. No more worries about parallel parking or fitting into tight spaces at the mall.
• Lane Assist – Lane assist is a feature that warns drivers when they begin drifting from their lanes.
• Collision Avoidance – Collision avoidance systems on both the front and back end use a variety of sensors to detect objects in the path of a vehicle. Some vehicle sound an alarm while others automatically apply the brakes.

There are several other ADAS options already on the market; more are coming. Why should you care? Because it won’t be long before every car on the road is fully equipped with ADAS devices.

Humans Are Still Necessary

You could make the case that ADAS is just the first step in developing fully autonomous cars. For the time being however, humans are still a necessary part of the equation. ADAS exists to help humans do a better job of driving. So far, it all seems to be working.