Parking assistance, lane-following, and driver-sleep-ahead systems are just some of the features new car buyers don’t want to do without anymore. The popularity of equipping cars with driver assistance systems is steadily increasing. It is noteworthy that cars not at all of premium segment are equipped with smart parking as a standard. Top of the line in compact and mid-range cars. New car registrations analyzed by Bosch.
“More and more customers want a car that anticipates and helps them maneuver itself,” says Dr. Dirk Hoeysel, board member of Bosch.
Whether it’s parking sensors, parking assist or a rear-view camera, 55 percent of all compact and mid-sized cars registered in Germany come with at least one of these systems as standard. At the same time, for premium cars the figure is only about 25%. A total of 45% of new cars of all classes have some kind of parking aid as standard equipment.
EU plans to make emergency braking assist systems mandatory for cars
Analysis of the results of a German study shows that parking assist systems top the list of desirable features. Followed by automatic emergency braking systems that help prevent accidents or mitigate their consequences if they are unavoidable. “Driver assistance systems are not just great devices that make driving more convenient. They can save lives,” Hoaisel says.
For this reason, the European Union is preparing legislation requiring mandatory equipment of cars with emergency braking systems. It is expected that, thanks to this initiative, all new models of vehicles should be equipped with automatic braking systems from 2022 onwards. The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, which is part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, has developed framework rules for this initiative. Forum recommends that only cars with emergency braking systems be sold in the EU and elsewhere in the future. The UNECE estimates that emergency braking assistants could save thousands of lives a year in the EU.
Of all new cars registered in Germany in 2017, 54% were equipped with an emergency braking system, up from 38% in 2016. An evaluation of statistics on new cars registered in 2017 also showed that in addition to parking and braking assistance systems, two other systems are gaining in popularity: driver sleepiness prevention at the wheel and lane tracking. Nearly half of all new cars can detect driver fatigue, and more than one in three cars has at least one lane-tracking system.
In addition, just under a quarter of cars are equipped with adaptive cruise control ACC , and 9% of newly registered cars in Germany already have a partially automated traffic jam control system. This helps drivers relax when they get caught in a traffic jam by simply activating the automatic following of the vehicle in front. Such a system also monitors engine starts and stops, acceleration and braking, and driving within the lane.
Driver assistance systems are becoming increasingly popular in Europe
It is not only in Germany that car buyers are increasingly relying on electronic assistants to make driving safer and more convenient. Parking aids and automatic emergency braking systems are increasingly being used in other European countries as well.
For example, parking assistants are particularly popular in France, with 85% of cars equipped with them, the highest figure for such systems. Rounding out the list is Italy with 44%. As for automatic emergency braking systems, they account for 54% in Belgium and Germany, and 45% of new cars in the Netherlands are equipped with such a system. At the same time the share of cars equipped with this system in Italy is 30%, while in America it is only 6%.
Driver assistance systems monitor difficult situations and help avoid accidents or even save lives. That’s why Bosch continues to develop an ever-expanding range of systems that improve road safety and make life easier for drivers.
And as part of the continuous improvement of electronic assistants, Bosch is also building a technical foundation for automated driving in the future. With this expertise, the company is already at the forefront of innovation in many areas that are essential to automated driving: radar systems, artificial intelligence, electronic brake control, transmission and steering.
Bosch analyzed 2017 vehicle registration statistics
Germany’s Federal Motor Vehicle Administration KBA reported that there were 3.44 million new vehicles registered in 2017. Working with data provided by analytics company JATO Dynamics, Bosch checked which driver assistance systems are featured in new cars in Germany, France, Spain, the UK, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and America. Bosch has been researching the use of driver assistance systems since 2013.
Are there any specific reasons why driver assistance systems are gaining popularity so rapidly year after year?
There are several reasons why driver assistance systems are gaining popularity rapidly year after year. Firstly, these systems are seen as a way to improve road safety by helping drivers avoid accidents through features like automatic emergency braking and lane departure warnings. Additionally, the convenience and comfort provided by features such as adaptive cruise control and parking assistance are appealing to consumers. As technology continues to advance, these systems are becoming more affordable and accessible, further driving their popularity. Finally, increasing regulations and mandates for certain safety features in vehicles are also contributing to the growth of driver assistance systems in the automotive industry.