Driving errors are a major cause of road accidents, especially for fleet companies where safety and efficiency are critical. Whether it’s a momentary lapse in attention or a more severe misjudgment, reducing human errors like these is imperative to curb collisions, delays, and costly disruptions.
Fortunately, the rise of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has transformed road safety systems. Did you know ADAS is expected to save 250,000 lives in the next 30 years as predicted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety?
Detecting hazards, assisting with vehicle control, and taking corrective actions helps ADAS mitigate the risks associated with common driving mistakes. This eventually helps fleet managers and owners in their quest to reduce human errors. Let’s explore how ADAS systems based on collision avoidance technology features have stepped in fleet accident prevention, showing just how impactful this technology can be for fleet and overall road safety.
Reducing Human Error: The Critical Role of ADAS in Fleet Accident Prevention
MoRTH reports that human errors are responsible for 94% of road accidents, with 474 daily fatalities in 2023. Let’s take a closer look at a few more MoRTH statistics and understand how ADAS can play a role in reducing accidents and boosting fleet safety.

1. Distracted Driving
Distracted driving, such as using mobile phones or eating, is a leading cause of road accidents. In fact, nearly 3,400 lives are lost annually due to mobile phone use while driving, with 26,413 fatalities from head-on collisions. Driver assistance features like forward collision avoidance and automated driver alerts can help in fleet accident prevention by warning drivers. In-cab cameras also monitor driver focus, alerting them when attention drifts from the road.
2. Speeding
Speeding is a common issue, especially under time pressure, leading to accidents. In India, 1,19,904 lives were lost in 3,33,323 speeding-related accidents. Further, curved roads caused 20,573 fatalities in 2022, often due to high speeds on unfamiliar or slick surfaces. ADAS system’s collision avoidance technology features like speed limit recognition and abrupt acceleration and breaking detection can promote safer driving of fleets. Fleet managers can monitor speeding in real-time through telematics, offering corrective feedback.
3. Fatigue
Fatigue can slow reaction times and impair decision-making, increasing accident risks. Drivers experiencing microsleep may miss hazards, like a curve on a long haul. Driver assistance features like frequent lane departures and along with driver drowsiness detection using a Driver Monitoring System can detect fatigue. When detected, the system alerts the driver to take a break or initiates safety measures like changing lanes or stopping the vehicle, ensuring fleet accident prevention.
Read More: How to Overcome Fleet Driver Fatigue Strategically?
4. Failure to Maintain Safe Following Distance
Tailgating, common in heavy traffic, reduces reaction time and increases rear-end collision risks. For example, a fleet driver may not stop in time if the vehicle ahead brakes suddenly. ADAS technologies like headway monitoring can help maintain a safe distance, alert the driver, and ensure the driver slows the vehicle when needed.
5. Lane Departure
Drivers may drift out of their lane due to fatigue, distractions, or road conditions, leading to accidents. In India, lane indiscipline caused 22,586 accidents and 9,094 fatalities. Erratic lane changes are also dangerous, especially in traffic making collision avoidance technology such ADAS systems an indispensable one. Lane departure warnings in ADAS technology can alert drivers for course correction. Lane-change assist along with blind view monitoring detects safe lane-switching opportunities, providing guidance or warnings to prevent side collisions.
6. Blind Spot Errors
Many accidents occur when drivers change lanes without checking their blind spots, leading to side collisions. For example, a truck driver merging onto a highway may fail to see a smaller vehicle in their blind spot. Blind-spot driver safety systems use radar or cameras to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes that the driver might not see, issuing warnings to prevent dangerous lane changes.
7. Inconsistent Braking
Inconsistent braking, such as sudden hard stops or delays in applying brakes, increases the risk of rear-end collisions. A distracted driver might brake too late or too harshly, creating a hazard for both themselves and vehicles behind them. Abrupt acceleration and braking monitor systems along with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) systems in the ADAS technology can detect the traffic ahead and ensure consistent braking when needed.
8. Inadequate Night Vision
Driving at night or in low-visibility conditions is challenging, as drivers may fail to spot pedestrians, animals, or other hazards on the road. A fleet driver operating late at night may not notice an animal or pedestrian crossing the road until it’s too late. That’s where the pedestrian detection in the commercial ADAS systems comes in handy.

Rainy or foggy weather conditions take lives too; India lost almost 29,000 lives to such difficult driving conditions. Night vision systems in ADAS systems use infrared technology to detect objects ahead that might be outside the range of regular headlights, providing alerts and avoid nighttime collision with road safety systems.
Proven Impact: ADAS Technology in Reducing Human Errors
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US has found that blind spot monitoring decreased crashes by 14%. Forward collision prevention reduced front-to-rear crashes by 50% and injuries by 56%, while backing collision avoidance lowered reverse crashes by 78% and damage claims by 30%. Though these statistics might vary upon Indian conditions, the stats highlight the significant benefits attached to the benefits of ADAS technology and its contribution in reducing human error.
Failure to follow safety regulations and lack of safety devices contribute to fatalities, with nearly 66,000 lives lost in India due to non-compliance. Fleet owners and managers, this is a strong reason to equip your vehicles with driver assistance features like video telematics systems. Here are some real-world examples where ADAS systems has helped save lives:
Volvo Truck Saves a Child’s Life with Emergency Braking
In a remarkable incident, a Volvo truck was travelling on a busy road when a child suddenly ran across from behind a school bus, unaware of the oncoming traffic. Two children had already dashed across the road when the Volvo’s emergency braking system detected the child just in time. The truck stopped within inches of the child, demonstrating the effectiveness of its emergency braking system in preventing what could have been a tragic accident.
200 ADAS-fitted Telangana Buses Reduce Accidents by 40% in 24 Months
The iRASTE (Intelligent Solution for Road Safety Through Technology and Engineering) pilot project achieved a significant 40% reduction in road accidents involving state transport buses equipped with AI-enabled ADAS devices compared to non-ADAS buses over the past year. These devices alerted drivers to potential collisions, vehicle distance, and speed limits while identifying 60 accident-prone areas (grey spots) across three state highways using AI. From March 2023 to April 2024, fatal road accidents on selected Telangana highways were significantly lower in ADAS-equipped buses, demonstrating the technology’s effectiveness in enhancing road safety.
Road Ahead: Emerging Technologies in ADAS and Their Role on Road Safety Systems
The future of ADAS technology in India’s fleet management is exciting, with major advancements on the horizon. As more fleets adopt driver assistance features, the focus will shift toward smarter and more connected systems.

- Level 2 and Beyond: As technology advances, fleet telematics evolve to incorporate higher levels of ADAS, further improving the protection of goods and supply.
- 5G technology will play a pivotal role by enabling faster, real-time communication between vehicles, sensors, and fleet managers. Imagine a fleet vehicle receiving real-time data from nearby vehicles, instantly adjusting speed to avoid a potential collision.
- Implementation of UBI: With advancements in IoT devices and sensors, the insurance industry is now leveraging them to implement Usage-Based Insurance.
- Ultrasonic sensors will further enhance ADAS systems by improving close-range detection for parking and low-speed manoeuvres, reducing human errors and the risk of minor accidents in congested areas.
- AI and machine learning will make ADAS technology more adaptive, analysing data to predict and respond to driving conditions better. For instance, AI can help fleets navigate India’s chaotic traffic by anticipating sudden stops or pedestrian movements.
- Augmented reality will help superimpose important data, such as the speed limit and navigational directions, within the driver’s line of vision.
With these technologies, ADAS will continue to drive safety and efficiency in Indian fleet management, creating a more intelligent road network. However, ADAS and real-time fleet video surveillance systems providers will have to bring down the cost of implementation significantly, to push for a widespread adoption of the technology.
ADAS Technology as a Game-Changer in Fleet Safety and Accident Prevention
As fleet companies continue to prioritise safety and efficiency, the integration of ADAS technology into their vehicles is proving invaluable. These advanced systems, when combined with a robust Fleet Management System, don’t just assist drivers—they actively prevent accidents, save lives, and reduce the financial and operational impacts of collisions. From automatic emergency braking to lane-keeping assist, ADAS is a key ally in addressing human error on the road. As ADAS technology continues to evolve, the future of driving will be increasingly safer and more reliable, ensuring that both drivers and fleet operators can navigate the roads with greater confidence.