Fleet Assist has launched an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) charter for fleets embracing new technologies that will make their company vehicles safer.
This comes as ADAS introduces leasing, rental and salary sacrifice companies to a complex environment of technology validation and digital systems which require support from their SMR garage network partners.
“Ensuring the reliability of interconnected systems – with ADAS at their cornerstone – will require a fresh look at fleet management and support networks such as SMR and body repair garages,” explained Karen Ewer, Fleet Assist’s operations director.
“As connected vehicles and automated safety systems become more widespread, they may become interwoven in Duty of Care requirements. For instance, will ADAS systems on fleet vehicles need to be checked annually to ensure they work correctly and is drier training needed to ensure they get the best technology such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control,” said Ewer.
Driver knowledge will become more important as ADAS is commonplace on fleet vehicles and while cars are engineered with tolerances to make allowances for some minor misalignments, safety remains paramount and checks need to be made to ensure they do not render vehicles unsafe.
Fleets will also need to be prepared to receive messages directly from connected vehicles when ADAS components need to be professionally checked and re-calibrated.
Technician training needs to keep in line with a growing ADAS vehicle fleet, but according to the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) the number of ADAS trained technicians is lagging behind where it needs to be.
In Q3 2025 only 4% of UK technicians were ADAS Techsafe qualified compared with 27% of UK cars on the road featuring a degree of Level 2 autonomy with the IMI calculating this number needs to rise from 11,500 in 2025 to around 205,000 by 2030. Fleet Assist currently has over 2,480 service points capable of ADAS calibration.
“SMR garage networks need to continue investing in their infrastructure, technology and training. With more ADAS-enabled vehicles on the road an increased number of services, MOTs and vehicle inspections will require garages to use equipment to check or re-calibrate systems,” explained Ewer.
Other parts of the automotive ecosystem are also taking a very active role in ADAS such as insurance. Insurers are increasingly requiring documented proof of ADAS calibration after a repair or windscreen replacement. Failure to provide proof could lead to denied claims or increased liability for operators if a safety system fails later, while on the positive side reduced incident rates will lead to reduced insurance premiums.
Fleet Assist’s six-point ADAS fleet charter
Establishing an ADAS maintenance policy creates a management framework covering sensor maintenance, calibration requirements, repair protocols, software updates and driver responsibilities.
Implementation of mandatory ADAS calibration protocols defines when recalibration is required e.g. following windscreen replacement, bumper or body repairs, wheel alignment or suspension work, sensor replacement and certain software updates.
Ensure your SMR and body repair networks are ADAS ready incorporating approved repairers with ADAS capability, including static and dynamic calibration rigs, OEM diagnostic tools and trained technicians.
Build ADAS system health into fleet telematics dashboards tracking sensor faults, disabled systems, calibration status and software versions.
Management of Over-the-Air Software updates will involve introducing processes where possible to ensure updates are monitored and drivers are made aware of the importance of completing updates.
Driver training should be a consideration where drivers better understand system capabilities and limitations, when systems disengage and correct responses to alerts whilst avoiding ‘automation complacency.’
