In mid-2022, the ADAS system regulation will come into force. This is a new regulation that will ensure that all cars sold in the European Union will be required to have this system integrated, with the aim of reinforcing road safety in all European vehicles.

With the mandatory implementation of these Advanced Driver Assistance Systems — ADAS for short in English — up to 25,000 deaths and more than 140,000 serious injuries will be avoided across Europe over the next 18 years, according to a study conducted by the European Parliament.

In this article, as a specialist in car glass replacement and ADAS systems, we will explain everything related to this regulation, what the different automatic emergency braking systems are, and other interesting facts on this topic.

What is automatic emergency braking?

This is a device that helps to reduce and prevent collisions with vehicles in front of us — something especially important given that road exits account for one third of all traffic accidents, according to the Dirección General de Tráfico.

It is therefore a driver safety element consisting of different cameras, sensors, and radars, which can detect vehicles and objects located in our path — whether stationary or travelling at a lower speed than ours — including vehicles, pedestrians, or bicycles. Likewise, when the system detects a risk of collision, it alerts the driver and, if there is no response, performs an emergency braking manoeuvre.

Types of automatic emergency braking

There are three automatic braking systems capable of detecting people and objects depending on their speeds. These three systems are: road, urban, and pedestrian.

  • Road system. The moment this system detects an imminent danger of a rear-end collision, the ADAS system issues a visual signal to the driver, visible on the dashboard or the windscreen, along with an audible warning. If the driver does not react, the road system performs an emergency braking manoeuvre to avoid the imminent collision. However, if the driver responds to the warning, the system deactivates. In addition, adaptive cruise control regulates the vehicle’s maximum speed and safety distance, so if the road system detects another vehicle travelling in the same lane at a lower speed, it immediately stops accelerating. If this action is not enough to prevent a collision, the system will activate the brakes.
  • AEB pedestrian system. This system detects the danger of hitting a pedestrian and, in order to avoid this, a warning light will appear on the dashboard along with an acoustic signal. If the driver does not react, the emergency braking will be activated.
  • Urban AEB system. This system warns the driver in case of a rear-end collision. As in the previous cases, if the driver does not react to the signals, the system itself takes control of the vehicle and performs an emergency stop. This system avoids collisions caused by distractions, provided that the speed is below 50 km/h. To avoid the limitations of this technology caused by external factors such as rain, snow, or dirt build-up, the ADAS system alerts the driver through the vehicle’s dashboard.

And, as we stated at the beginning of this article, AEB is a road safety system that will be mandatory from July 2022 in all new vehicle type approvals in the European Union.

However, the AEB pedestrian system will not be required in new type-approved vehicles until two years after the mandatory implementation of AEB, that is, until July 2024.