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The development and evolution of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, ADAS, has been the single largest driving force of automotive advancement for the past 7 years, and will continue to propel change for the next decade or more.

Proactive preparation for continued ADAS development is key to maintaining the health of the collision repair, auto glass, and automotive insurance industries. This is especially true as manufacturers race to meet the specifications to qualify for road safety agency endorsements.

Impact of Legislation & Endorsements

Legislation

In the U.S., the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are performance requirements set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA). Generally, new vehicles must meet these requirements to qualify for domestic sale.

The most pressing legislation is FMVSS-127, which currently still requires compliance by September 1, 2029, despite continuous calls for an extension from some automotive industry leaders.

What does FMVSS-127 entail?
Jamie Shackelford, Caliber’s Vice President of Marketing, breaks it down.

Endorsements are Nearly as Important to Manufacturers as Legislation

Even if the effective date for FMVSS-127 is ultimately postponed, automotive manufacturers are rushing to qualify their vehicles for the NHTSA’s Five-Star Safety Rating and the Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  

These safety ratings have become key to automotive marketing, dramatically impacting sales and customer choice. Sources like Consumer Reports and Kelley Blue Book reference the findings from these agencies when they make their recommendations.   

In 2024, the NHTSA’s announced that its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which determines the Five-Star rating, will now include:

• Pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB)

• Blind spot warning (BSW) and blind spot intervention (BSI)

• Lane-keeping assistance (LKA)

While PAEB is part of FMVSS-127, BSW, BSI and LKA systems are not included in the Federal ruling, yet auto manufacturers will need to address inclusion and performance of these systems if they want their vehicles to qualify. Originally, the changes to the NCAP and Five-Star Safety Rating would have impacted vehicles starting with model year 2026 but this was postponed and now will begin with model year 2027.

Meanwhile, the IIHS has not yet announced what ADAS technologies will be impacting its “Top Picks” determination after 2025, but it has said updates are coming soon.

Achieving Compliance

To meet governmental requirements and/or to qualify for essential safety endorsements, manufacturers may need to increase the number cameras and sensors and possibly incorporate new technologies on their vehicles, beginning, in some cases, with model year 2026.  

For example, Nissan announced that beginning with model year 2027, their vehicles in Japan will feature the third generation of ProPILOT technology, which includes a hardware package of 11 total cameras, 5 radar sensors, and 1 LiDAR sensor, all integrated by the Wayve AI Driver software. To compare, the current ProPILOT 2.0, first launched in 2019, features just 7 cameras, 5 radar sensors, and 12 sonar sensors, but no LiDAR, and no AI. It's worth noting that sonar systems don't generally require the complex, specialized calibrations that cameras and other sensors do. 

Additionally, at least some model year 2027 Honda vehicles will include next-generation ADAS featuring AI integration, as per a Honda press release.

How the Collision Repair & Automotive Glass Industries are Affected

More Calibrations per Repair Order

While it’s self-evident that vehicles with a greater number of cameras and sensors will require a greater number of calibrations after a collision, even when the hardware remains the same, advancements in software can also lead to an increase in the number of calibrations needed.

Integrated Systems

When systems are integrated through certain types of equipment, such as LiDAR, or connected through an AI “brain” they need to be calibrated together to ensure harmonious operation. This may mean that a rear collision, which previously only required a calibration of rear cameras and sensors, may now require calibration of multiple  or even ALL cameras and sensors—as well as the connecting software—to ensure proper performance.

Looking Forward

As ADAS technologies become increasingly integrated and advanced, the collision repair, automotive glass and automotive insurance industries face a pivotal juncture that calls for introspection and planning. More calibrations per repair order will impact claim severity and possibly cycle time—if we don’t get ahead of changes now, to safeguard the reliability and reputation of the automotive sector for years to come.