The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways reported over 4.22 lakh road accidents in 2022, with nearly a quarter involving commercial vehicles. Overloaded vehicles, poor road conditions, inconsistent driving patterns, and safety rule violations contribute to unpredictable situations, impacting human lives and disrupting businesses, and supply chains.
Enter Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Hitherto largely a conversation limited to the premium passenger segment, the case for ADAS in all commercial vehicles is a strong one.
Safety
The most obvious argument of all. ADAS provides drivers with an extra set of eyes, alerting them to potential dangers and assisting in emergencies. Features like collision warnings, lane-keeping assistance, and blind-spot monitoring reduce risks, particularly in challenging road conditions. Moreover, night driving, which accounted for 20.4% of all accidents in 2022, becomes safer with Night Vision Assistance (NVA), available even with level 1 ADAS, by improving visibility and helping drivers maintain control in low-visibility conditions
Business continuity
The benefits of ADAS extend far beyond accident prevention. For fleet operators, these technologies can reduce vehicle downtime caused by collisions, cutting down on insurance claims and maintenance costs. This translates to more efficient operations, better fleet management, and reduced financial losses.
For small operators with limited fleets comprised often of the light commercial vehicles and small commercial vehicles, a single accident can bring business to a standstill, underscoring the urgent need for ADAS to enhance safety and operational efficiency. In fact, for SCVs or LCVs, ADAS becomes even more valuable. These vehicles often carry high-value goods between nearby cities, becoming a critical component of the mid mile supply chain.
While the above two arguments alone make a compelling case, additional ADAS features like smart route optimisation and energy management can help operators improve mileage and overall fleet performance, thus leading to operational efficiency gains.
The next steps in India
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is committed to enhancing road safety by advocating for the inclusion of ADAS features like collision warnings and blind-spot detection across passenger and commercial vehicles. The ‘Moving Off Information System’ (MOIS) proposal further demonstrates the government’s commitment to advanced safety solutions. The ministry’s new guidelines also prioritise clearer, multilingual, and pictorial road signage on national highways and expressways to improve understanding and compliance with traffic rules, while stressing the importance of lane discipline to ensure safer roads for all users.
ADAS relies on sensor-based technology that interacts with its surroundings, making infrastructure a key enabler of success. Initiatives such as MoRTH’s to align road infrastructure across regions can unlock the full capability and positive impact of ADAS.
One can argue that it is now time for automotive companies to do their part – to make ADAS go beyond passenger vehicle adaptations and invest in localised commercial vehicles solutions that address India’s road conditions, infrastructure gaps, and business needs. But an off-the-shelf ADAS system will simply not work in India and customisation is key. By investing in indigenous solutions, OEMs can create reliable systems that improve safety, reduce accidents, and enhance operational efficiency, effectively handling the real-world complexities of commercial transport in India. A few players have already begun. But this is not enough, and the inflexion point can only be precipitated when the larger players give life to this momentum.
The time has come for commercial vehicles to match the technology features that the passenger segment has come to take for granted. It not only means business for the OEM but also means that they really are invested in driver and fleet owner safety and business success.
(Disclaimer: Saurav Kumar is the Founder & CEO of Euler Motors. Views are personal.)
