At CES, Velodyne Lidar (Booth – LVCC, North Hall – 7520) will have information and experts available on a recently proposed five-diamond rating system that aims to clarify and standardize terminology for Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) features.

More than 90 percent of new vehicles include ADAS that offer features such as Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

These ever-improving vehicle systems present a great opportunity to increase driving safety and reduce the number of roadway deaths and injuries. Indeed, they are already having a positive effect. For example, according to an IIHS report, one automaker’s vehicles equipped with Automatic Emergency Breaking and Forward Collision Warning features were involved in 43% fewer front-to-rear crashes.

However, the wide variety of ADAS features offered in the marketplace can be confusing to consumers, who may not clearly understand their vehicles’ true capabilities and limitations or have an easy way of comparing system performance between vehicle models. This lack of information has the potential to reduce the safety gains of ADAS features by increasing the risk of improper use.

To encourage transparency in the marketplace and promote the maximum positive effect of ADAS technologies, Velodyne has developed and proposed a five-level rating system, which utilizes diamonds to mark significant milestone achievements in vehicle system performance. The foundational ADAS technologies included in the five-diamond rating system are Lane Keep Assistance, Automatic Emergency Braking, Automatic Emergency Steering and Blind Spot Monitoring.

“We encourage the community of automotive safety organizations to take up the mantle by establishing and performing test protocols for assigning standardized ADAS feature performance ratings,” said Mircea Gradu, Sr. VP of Product and Quality, Velodyne Lidar. “At CES, Velodyne Lidar will work to advance the industry dialogue to align ADAS nomenclature and marketing claims with true vehicle capabilities.“

A white paper on the proposed rating system, called “An ADAS Feature Rating System: Proposing a New Industry Standard” is available on the Velodyne Lidar website. A version of this paper has been published by SAE International. Presented in its initial stage of development, this rating system will likely require continued refinement with a third-party organization.

“We are eager to continue the conversation at CES and other forums because the potential impact is tremendous. Improving driving safety is a paramount concern within the industry – and advancing safety requires not only revolutionary technology, but common, transparent standards clearly conveyed to customers to allow responsible implementation,” said Gradu.

To download a PDF version of “An ADAS Feature Rating System: Promoting a New Industry Standard,” click the link below:

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