Rijkswaterstaat monitors the development of ADAS in Dutch passenger car and truck fleet

Rijkswaterstaat is an executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management dedicated to promote safety, mobility and the quality of life in the Netherlands. A research has been carried out to identify the market developments of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), to interpret them for Rijkswaterstaat as a road authority. It is currently about SAE 1 and 2 vehicles. Ultimately, the growth of the higher SAE classes and fully automatic vehicles and their effects on the road network and traffic flow will also be monitored. A factsheet on “Slimme Voertuigen” and a background report “Ontwikkelingen en cijfers veiligheids – en comfortsystemen wagenpark 2019” consider market and fleet developments and the effect on road safety of ADAS systems in recent years. Rijkswaterstaat looked at new sales and the ADAS share in the total fleet of passenger cars. The focus has been on ADAS systems to improve traffic safety.

Based on a data analysis for a selection of ADAS systems, the growth in new sales of passenger cars in the Netherlands was examined (2012 to 2018). In addition, a sample of 7,500 cars was used to determine what percentage of the systems offered as an option were purchased. Finally, using the data analysis and investigations of several safety and car-related institutes and insurance organizations (SWOV, EuroNCAP, BOVAG, GDV, IIHS, HLDI), a Top5 of safety-related ADAS was compiled. The findings are set out in the factsheet and background report.

The main conclusions that could be drawn for the Dutch car fleet are:

• With new sales there is a clear acceleration in the availability and the actual purchase of ADAS systems. The preparation of OEMs on new European obligations on ADAS (from 2022 and 2024) also plays a role in this.
• The growth of ADAS systems in the total fleet is steadily increasing, but because the fleet is only fed with 5% new vehicles per year, which are by no means all equipped with one or more ADAS systems, this means at most an annual increase of a few percent in the total fleet.
• For the time being, safety-related ADAS lags compared with the purchase of comfort-related ADAS. Looking at the safety ADAS systems with potentially the largest contribution to traffic safety, they (luckily) are also the systems most frequently present (standard) in newly sold vehicles.

The monitor about ADAS in trucks isn’t completed yet but will soon be finished and published.

Please note the report is available only in Dutch.