What is it?
Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) is the new safety technology system being included into many of the new modern automobiles and trucks. The term “Advanced” meaning that these are systems beyond the normal driver assist features like power steering and power brakes. These systems can include but are not limited to,
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· Full-speed range adaptive cruise control · Front and rear “virtual bumpers” · Intelligent brake assist · Brake pre-fill feature · Forward collision alert · Autonomous collision mitigation braking · Lane departure warning · Lane Keeping
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· Side blind zone alert · Rear cross traffic alert · Adaptive forward lighting and Intellibeam headlamp control · Adaptive brake lights · Rear vision camera with dynamic guidelines · Hill hold/start assist
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What makes these features special to the auto glass technician is that they may utilize the windshield or other parts of the vehicle that are commonly serviced by normal auto glass installation. What makes these features a problem, is that many of them must be re-calibrated by the dealer or a calibrating service after the auto glass part is installed. The exception to this rule is the GM vehicles equipped with ADAS. GM’s vehicles are self-calibrating.
Debate
There is a current discussion going on in the industry whether to call these systems a safety device or not. Most of the systems are optional equipment and can be turned off by the driver when they become a nuisance. This is an argument that has some merit. If the system can be turned off, how can anyone be held accountable if an accident occurs when the system is disabled.
On the other side are those that claim that a device that aids in accident reduction is a safety device no matter what others say. Their argument is simply that a safety device is defined by the jury that hears the case and most of us know what their decision will be. If the device isn’t made to operate properly after the installation, it is the fault of the glass company that did the installation.
How to deal with it.
The Auto Glass Safety Council Standards Committee is tackling this issue and is doing their due diligence in finding the facts and determining a course of action. In the meantime, the recommendation is to protect your customers from possible injury and yourself from possible liability. Once the installation is complete, make an appointment with a local dealer for your customer so you and they will know that this re-calibration is necessary. Beware that some dealers may require OEM glass parts be used before they will agree to re-calibrate. They will require an additional charge for the re-calibration service so make your customers aware of the added cost.
Keep your eyes and ears open for new information on this subject. The importance of properly resetting these systems are imperative to everyone’s well-being.
