There’s little doubt ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) are going to have a major impact on our industry. But how fast is it coming and what do we need to know? There’s a huge gap between what's available on new cars, and what's actually on the road.

The HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute, a sister to the IIHS) published an in-depth analysis of the adoption, titled: Predicted Availability of Safety Features on Registered Vehicles - a 2025 Update.

Let’s start by looking at new cars. AEB (automatic emergency braking) is standard on 87% of 2024 model-year vehicles. Big number. However, only ~32% of vehicles on the road have AEB. The study predicts it’ll take 20 more years for 95% of vehicles on the road to be equipped with AEB.

The lag between availability and adoption is always bigger than I think, especially with big purchases like vehicles. Not everyone is in a position to trade their trusty 2010 Camry for a 2025 model equipped with all the bells and whistles. Still, check out all the vehicles predicted to be equipped with specific collision avoidance systems by 2029!

It’s important for us recons to be familiar with the tech and know how to determine what role the systems might have played in a collision. Here are a couple avenues to learn more. I’m not affiliated with either of these courses, I just want to spread the word on good, unique training opportunities (and hopefully hang with some of you in Tahoe, a glorious place to be in October).

​2025 CA2RS Fall Conference in Tahoe, California​

October 16-18. $525 or $445 for members. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for the Crash Reconstructionist, presented by Alan Moore. Two+ days of lectures and nighttime hangs with lots of top-notch recons. Look forward to seeing some of you there.

​SAE’s ADAS Testing & Reconstruction Course in Mohnton, Pennsylvania​

November 4-6. $1,749. Instructed by Shawn Harrington of Forensic Rock and Jim Lau of Racelogic. A hands-on course hosted at Maple Grove Raceway, allowing students to learn from both lectures and testing. A powerful combo.

Alan and Shawn are both talented presenters and know their stuff, so you can’t go wrong with either opportunity!

Thanks for reading, keep exploring!

Lou Peck
Lightpoint | JS Forensics