This Is Why One Should Never Blindly Rely On ADAS [Video]
Today, a lot of popular cars in India are offered with the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) Level 2. This safety suite comes with features such as auto emergency braking and collision avoidance systems. However, they might not always work, and relying on them could prove to be very dangerous. Recently, a video has been shared online in which a Tata Safari equipped with ADAS was seen failing to detect an oncoming biker. The result of this was that the biker crashed into the Safari.
Tata Safari ADAS failed
This video of a bike crashing into a Tata Safari has been shared on YouTube by E55 BæMG on their channel. What happens is that we can note that the Safari was descending from a flyover, and there was a Mahindra Scorpio which was coming from the opposite side. This Scorpio was going from the right lane (Safari driver’s view) to the left side of the flyover.
Soon after, the unfortunate incident takes place as a biker who was just behind the Scorpio did not notice the Safari coming down from the flyover. As a result, when he did eventually see it, he turned his bike towards the left (biker’s perspective). However, what the Safari driver also did was that he turned his car towards his right side. As a result, the biker collided with the Safari.
Aftermath of this accident
The video then shows the aftermath of this accident. We can note that the front end of the Safari was damaged. However, it has been mentioned that despite the damages, the vehicle was drivable, and there was only a minor coolant leakage. As for the bike rider, it has been reported that he was taken to the hospital, where he underwent a minor surgery on the leg. Apart from that, he was safe.
ADAS failed to detect the biker
We can clearly observe that the ADAS Level 2 of the Tata Safari did not help in avoiding this accident. There was no forward collision warning and no automatic emergency braking (AEB) from the vehicle. As per the report, the only response from the car was that the hazard lights activated, which is mostly due to hard braking, and the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) intervened on time.
Now, at the moment, there are no exact reasons which explain the failure of the ADAS in detecting the oncoming biker. However, what we believe is that the cutting of the white Scorpio from the front might have partially blocked the sensors of the Safari, which might have caused the vehicle to not detect the bike on time.
ADAS sensors generally need a clear line of sight to detect objects. So, if another vehicle suddenly moves across, the sensors may not have been able to register the bike quickly enough. Another possibility is that ADAS, especially AEB (Auto Emergency Braking), often has reduced sensitivity at lower speeds, which is common in Indian traffic situations.
So, as the vehicle was driving down the flyover, the vehicle might have assumed that the driver was reducing the speed and was in control of the situation; hence, it did not activate the braking system. Now, what exactly caused the failure of ADAS in this particular accident is currently unknown. It has to be mentioned that, for the above reasons, drivers should not always completely rely on ADAS and should be paying attention to the road.