What is the latest autonomous car technology?

You may not know it, but your car is kitted out with a number of sophisticated active safety systems that come to life in the last few seconds before an accident, to either prevent it or to mitigate the consequences. 

It's worth noting that while these systems do act autonomously, they are only Level 2 autonomous driving systems and still require the driver to be paying attention to the car and their surroundings. 

The most widely available driver assistance system is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which has been mandatory on all new cars since 2022. In its most basic form, it’s intended to prevent one of the most common types of road accident, the rear end shunt, by automatically applying the brakes on a car to stop it from driving into the one in front.  

However, the latest driver assistance systems do much more than just mitigate against low-speed rear end crashes. They can stop a car that’s about to collide with another at a junction, save you from reversing into another car or person in a car park, and prevent accidents with pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.  

The cleverest self-driving systems can also take control of the steering and acceleration to move the car out of harm’s way or take control in an emergency if the driver becomes unresponsive. 

German government research credits driver assistance systems with playing a significant role in reducing road deaths by 67% since they were first introduced in 2000. Looking forward, EU research states that if all cars were fitted with the six most common active safety systems, also known as advanced driver assistance technology systems (ADAS), there would be a 24% reduction in accidents - that equates to 18,925 collisions avoided. 

Here we take a look at the latest self-driving systems, and the ones that’ll be fitted to new cars soon. 

Enhanced front assistance

The latest innovations in this technology almost make it feel like your car can see round corners. Models such as the latest Volkswagen Passat can spot a car that’s travelling on a side road towards your car as you approach a junction, and apply the brakes to avert a crash. 

The Volkswagen system uses a combination of cameras (one fitted under each headlight and one at the top of the windscreen) and a radar camera behind the car’s bonnet badge to detect vehicles approaching from either side. It will prevent a collision at up to 37mph. 

Developed on underpinnings used throughout the VW Group, the system can be added to a large number of current and future models from not only VW, but also Audi, Cupra and Skoda. 

Other front assistance innovations include the ability to automatically apply the brakes if a car is about to collide with another one while turning right across a road. 

Emergency obstacle avoidance is another feature of some front assist systems. Using data from the car’s radar and front cameras, the technology spots a potential hazard, such as a pothole, and will steer the car around it. The collision assist feature on Audi models operates between 19mph and 93mph and works in stages, first alerting the driver to the obstacle and then helping to steer the car around it if the driver doesn’t take appropriate evasive action. 

AEB pedestrian detection

These systems can spot children and adults in a number of potentially dangerous situations and apply the car’s brakes to avoid hitting them. The system in the latest Mercedes E-Class is one of the best at spotting an adult in various positions around the car, as well as detecting a child running out between parked cars both in daylight and at night. It's intended to prevent accidents when the car is travelling at up to 43mph.   

Volkswagen is developing a pop-up bonnet that will work in conjunction with its pedestrian AEB system to halve injuries to those involved in road accidents involving its cars. The bonnet has springs that pop up just before an impact occurs, reducing the stiffness of the bonnet and increasing the distance of the pedestrian from the components under the bonnet. 

The bonnet returns to its normal position after an impact, so there’s no need for the car owner to visit a dealer to have it repositioned. The system uses camera and radar sensors to detect child and adult pedestrians and cyclists, and deploys in 300 milliseconds if an impact is imminent. 

AEB cyclist and motorcyclist detection

Some systems that help to avoid pedestrians are also able to prevent impacts with cyclists and motorbike riders in a number of scenarios. The Zeekr 1 and X, which should go on sale in the UK in 2025, are among the best in this area. 

This technology automatically applies a car’s brakes if a cyclist is crossing the road in front of the car, if they are crossing a side road the car is turning into, and if they appear from between parked cars. It also averts potential collisions with stationary and moving motorbikes by applying the brakes. 

Many new cars also use their cameras and radar to spot cyclists riding alongside a car, and will prevent any of the car doors from being opened until the cyclist has passed. The Zeekr system is one of only a few that scored maximum points in this test during Euro NCAP safety testing.  

Driver emergency assistance systems

A growing number of new cars have technology that can tell if a driver becomes inattentive and could potentially crash the car. Some use a camera inside the car and others monitor the driver’s grip on the steering wheel, their use of the accelerator or if the car keeps veering out of the correct lane. 

The latest Volkswagen Group system is able to take over if the driver becomes inattentive for more than 25 seconds. It first sends an audible warning to the driver to pay attention to the road and flashes up messages on the dashboard. If these are ignored, five seconds later it taps the brakes and flashes up the messages again. If there has been no response from the driver after 25 seconds, the car’s hazard warning lights go on and it slows to a stop in its lane. 

On multiple-lane roads, though, this is not the best solution to the problem of an unconscious driver, because the car could be struck by another vehicle after it has stopped. So Volkswagen has developed the system so that it is able to steer the car across two lanes of traffic if necessary to stop it in a safe place, such as on the motorway hard shoulder. The upgraded technology will be rolled out to Volkswagen vehicles in 2025. 

Pre-crash systems 

Although these systems don’t take over the driving, they do work autonomously and help to lessen injuries in crashes. 

The system fitted to the latest Volkswagen Passat and Tiguan uses multiple sensors around the car’s bodywork, along with its radar and cameras, to detect an imminent collision and automatically activate pre-crash systems, including the airbags and seat belt tensioners. They also automatically close windows and the sunroof, put the car’s hazard warning lights on and inform the emergency services of the collision. They don’t react until 300 milliseconds before an impact, to ensure that they are only activated when they’re needed. 

In our test of the system fitted to a Volkswagen Passat, a ‘soft target’ car travelling at 22mph collided with our car. The Passat’s radar sensors worked out the speed of the dummy car and predicted the exact time of the collision so all the necessary systems could activate to lessen the impact. 

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