Emphasize ADAS's Positive Impact on Enhancing Driver Control to Counter Negative Perceptions of Reduced Driver Role.
Surveys Conducted Among Truck Drivers and Motor Carriers Pre- and Post-Outreach Activities Revealed Lessons Learned in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Adoption.
Nationwide, United States
Accelerating the Adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS): “Tech-Celerate Now” Phase 1
Summary Information
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have the potential of improving traffic safety, including truck safety. However, barriers such as awareness, acceptance, and uncertain Return On Investment (ROI), are known to be limiting the adoption of this technology. This study summarized the findings from Phase 1 of the “Tech-Celerate Now” program, launched by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in September 2019, to accelerate adoption of ADAS technologies amongst trucking industry associations and consultants. This study documented the research and data analysis as well as awareness activities, program perception and impacts, through a pre- and post-outreach activity survey of motor carrier executives and truck drivers. The Tech-Celerate Now program documented in this study, categorized ADAS technologies into four functional groups:
- ADAS braking systems, including technologies such as automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control systems.
- ADAS steering systems, including lane keep assist, lane centering, and adaptive steering control.
- ADAS warning systems, including lane departure warning (LDW), forward collision warning (FCW), and blind spot warning (BSW).
- ADAS monitoring systems, including driver- and road-facing cameras and camera-based mirror systems.
In 2020, the research team developed two targeted Baseline (pre-outreach) surveys, which yielded 726 usable responses from drivers and 200 from motor carrier executives. Later, in the Fall of 2021, the Year One (post-outreach) survey was developed to identify trends across an approximately 18-month interval between Spring 2020 (baseline survey) and Fall 2021 (year one survey). The Year One driver survey resulted in 646 complete responses and the motor carrier survey produced 145 complete responses.
- Emphasize ADAS's positive impact on enhancing driver control to counter negative perceptions of reduced driver role. Hands-on ADAS demonstrations may provide familiarity with specific ADAS technologies aiming enhanced control.
- Focus Outreach Efforts on Peer-Driven and Industry-Specific Channels to Enhance ADAS Adoption. Tailoring outreach through association communications, industry meetings, and platforms that facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges builds credibility and supports informed adoption decisions by sharing firsthand driver experiences.
- Explore the factors contributing to slow ADAS adoption. Uncertainty about reliability, usability, maintenance requirements, and ROI are the primary factors contributing to slow adoption and negative perception of the technologies. Both carrier and driver groups reported financial factors as the largest motivator/inhibitor to ADAS adoption.
- Consider the Adoption of Braking and Warning Systems to Align Industry-Wide Preferences. This study found braking systems, including air disc brakes and automatic emergency braking, and warning systems such as forward collision warnings are widely perceived by both carriers and drivers as essential for industry-wide adoption. Carriers, who rated warning systems as improving safety 14 percent higher on average than drivers, highlight the need to address differing perceptions to maximize adoption and safety benefits.
- Overcome market barriers by increasing understanding and awareness of ADAS. For example, industry stakeholders, including technology suppliers and fleet managers, should stress that ADAS are there to backup and assist the professional driver in responding to safety critical situations, not to replace them.
