Replacing or repairing windscreens used to be a relatively simple and quick process. However, the growing prevalence of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and their use of windscreen-mounted sensors means this may no longer always be the case.
Safety technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assist use radar, laser or camera sensors which are often located behind a car’s windscreen. The same applies to more convenience-oriented features such as adaptive cruise control.
Vehicle safety consultancy Thatcham Research says windscreen-mounted ADAS technology is currently fitted to approximately 6% of vehicles on UK roads, with this proportion likely to rise to 40% by 2020.
These figures are likely to be much higher for fleets as the age of their vehicles will be much less than the overall UK car parc. This means fleets have to be aware of the implications windscreen replacement or repair can have on vehicle safety, as well as ensuring the sensors are properly calibrated.
“The importance of [recalibration] being undertaken correctly cannot be underestimated,” says Frank Harvey, head of bodyshop operations at the National Association of Bodyshops (NAB).
“Without correct calibration, an ADAS will read and process wrong information meaning the vehicle safety system will not operate properly.”
This could create a significant and unnecessary risk for drivers: Euro NCAP research shows that a correctly working AEB system leads to a 38% reduction in rear-end collisions.
The prospect of a collision not being avoided because of incorrectly calibrated ADAS sensors means fleets should have an effective policy in place to avoid a “legal minefield”, says Phil Homer, operations director at Nationwide Windscreens.
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