Driver Assistance Systems

ABS (Anti-lock Braking System): prevents wheel lock-up under hard braking by rapidly pulsing brake pressure — keeps you able to steer while braking hard, even on wet roads. A pulsing pedal is normal; keep it pressed firmly, don't pump it yourself.

ESP / ESC (Electronic Stability Program/Control): detects skidding or traction loss and automatically brakes individual wheels and/or cuts engine power to pull the car back on line. Mandatory on all new EU cars since 2014.

AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking): monitors the road ahead with radar/camera and brakes automatically if a collision is imminent and you haven't reacted. It's a last-resort safety net, not a substitute for attentive driving.

Airbags: inflate within milliseconds in a collision. They work together with seatbelts — without a fastened belt, an airbag is far less effective and can even be dangerous, since the belt keeps your body correctly positioned relative to it.

Standard cruise control: holds a constant speed you set. It does not sense traffic ahead — you must brake or disengage it yourself.

ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control): uses radar/camera to keep a set following distance from the car ahead, slowing and speeding back up automatically in flowing traffic. Neither version slows down for an upcoming bend — you must always be ready to intervene manually.

This is the most confused topic in the whole ADAS chapter — three different systems, similar names, different jobs:

1) Lane Departure Warning / Lane Keeping Assist: tracks lane markings with a forward camera. Warns you (beep/vibration) if you drift out without indicating; Lane Keeping Assist goes further and gently steers you back. Its function can be limited by a dirty road surface or absent lane markings — it has no signal to read from guardrails. You override an active intervention by countersteering or activating the indicator.

2) Lane Change Assist (no steering intervention): uses side/rear sensors to warn you (mirror light) if a vehicle is in the target lane's monitored area — it only warns, it does not steer or brake for you. This is essentially the blind-spot monitor applied specifically to a lane-change moment.

3) Active Lane Change Assist: actually performs the lane change itself, once you initiate it (usually via the indicator). It only does so if it has detected an adequately marked multi-lane carriageway and no vehicle in the relevant safety zone. Best suited to motorways/motorway-like roads with clear, straight markings. Even once it's changing lanes, you must still monitor it — it doesn't always maintain every safety distance automatically.

Blind Spot Monitor: detects vehicles in the zone mirrors don't cover, shows a warning near the side mirror. Supplements, but never replaces, a shoulder check before changing lanes.

Parking sensors: ultrasonic, front/rear, beep faster as you approach an obstacle. Reversing camera: live view behind the car in reverse gear, often with projected-path guide lines.

TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring): warns via dashboard light if a tyre is significantly under-inflated — affects handling, braking distance, and fuel use.

Traffic Sign Recognition: forward camera reads speed-limit and regulatory signs, shows the current limit on the dash. Useful as a reminder, but can misread or miss a sign — doesn't replace actually watching the road's signs yourself.