EL SEGUNDO, CA – Worldwide Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) sales are expected to soar to 56.3 million in 2013, a CAGR of 26.6%, from 17.3 million in 2008.

ADAS’s target the auto safety market, where accidents in 2003 incurred $231 billion worth of damage. These “safety cocoons” promise to mitigate the global car-crash catastrophe by aiding motorists in their overall driving with features ranging from blind-spot detection to adaptive cruise control, says iSuppli Corp., which released the data.

The technology’s potential to reduce accidents and decrease injuries and deaths is expected to cause the number of ADAS-installed cars sold worldwide to rise by more than threefold from 2008 to 2013, reaching nearly 60 million, according to iSuppli Corp.

Further, regional regulations are putting pressure on automakers to embrace ADAS features.

“Preventing loss of life and saving money for governments, insurance companies, car makers and consumers is what ADAS is all about,” said Phil Magney, vice president, automotive, for iSuppli. “In the US, the cost per accident is roughly $36,500. In 2003, there were 6.3 million accidents involving 11.2 million cars, causing more than 42,000 deaths and 2.9 million injuries. That’s a major reason why automakers are rushing to add ADAS features to their cars.”

Major ADAS applications include:

 ·          Adaptive cruise control

·          Blind spot detection

·          Object recognition

·          Driver monitoring

·          Road sign recognition

·          Adaptive lighting

·          Stability control

·          Event data recorders

·          Night vision

·          Parking assist

“These technologies are paving the way to autonomous driving; i.e. cars that are capable of driving themselves,” Magney said. “Autonomous driving isn’t a question of if — but when. Soon, we will see an evolution to true autonomous driving.”