As manufacturers continue to roll out the first combinations of advanced driver assistance features, some cars will soon have the ability to cruise freeways and safely navigate traffic with minimal driver input. While autonomous vehicle technology continues to evolve, so does its potential to institute significant changes in safety and personal mobility, particularly in large cities.

“Studies have shown that measurable improvements in traffic flow can be expected if as few as 10 percent of vehicles on a road are using adaptive cruise control, which is just one type of advanced driver assistance,” says Dave Alexander, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “One of the challenges is not just to get the systems installed, but to provide incentives for people to use them on a daily basis.”

An important consideration for this market, according to the report, is how quickly the technology will spread to the installed base of vehicles on the road. Over the next five years, increasingly sophisticated driver assistance systems are expected to be introduced by a wide range of manufacturers, and it is important to understand the capability of the technology and how much driver interaction is required as new features are introduced.

The report, Autonomous Vehicles, provides a detailed examination of the emerging market for different levels of fully and semi-autonomous driving. The study provides a discussion of the potential benefits, demand drivers, inhibitors, and technology issues related to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, as well as profiles of the leading vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

Source: Navigant Research