Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technology being increasingly integrated into four-wheelers for Indian road conditions is focused more on preventing collisions with vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders, ARAI director Reji Mathai said on Thursday.
“Fatalities inside four-wheelers are largely under control. The majority of accidents involve pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. ADAS technology aims to mimic real driver skills to protect them,” Mathai said at the inauguration of ARAI’s ADAS testing facility in Takwe village near Talegaon.
The new track would offer carmakers and technology developers a dedicated space to test their systems. It is the only such facility in the country developed by ARAI to validate autonomous and assisted driving technologies suited to Indian road conditions.
Mathai said driving patterns and road conditions in countries like the US, Europe and China differed significantly from those in India. “While these countries are early leaders in ADAS development, India must adapt such systems to its own context,” he said, adding, “This also creates opportunities for Indian tech firms and startups to build solutions tailored for Indian roads.”
At present, many ADAS features offered in passenger vehicles are designed based on foreign testing criteria. Mathai said while these global standards were mandatory, they were not sufficient for India, where road conditions differ sharply from what global regulations assume.
On the regulatory front, Mathai said ADAS kits would become mandatory for new commercial vehicle models, including buses and trucks, by March 2027. There are, however, no proposed regulations for adopting the technology for passenger vehicles suited to Indian conditions as of now.
ARAI also demonstrated multiple ADAS applications on its test track, which was completed in Sept. During the demonstration, two SUVs and a truck came to a halt at an intersection after detecting an approaching two-wheeler.
Earlier, ARAI announced that it has gathered data covering 37,000 km of road networks — including the Golden Quadrilateral and 20 major cities across 24 states. The resulting repository, designed for assisted driving development, reflects both urban and rural stretches, state highways, and real-world challenges such as stray animals, potholes, and varying environmental conditions.
