Driver inattention and improper driving behavior are key causes of traffic incidents, including rear-end collisions and poor lane discipline in Indian traffic. This study explores the impact of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in addressing these issues. ADAS features, such as Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Pedestrian Collision Warning (PCW), provide timely alerts to improve driver performance. This study utilized ADAS warning data and kinematic variables such as speed, acceleration, and response time to evaluate the driver performance for lower levels of ADAS. Field Operational Tests (FOT) were conducted on a 65-km stretch in Guwahati, India, using an instrumented vehicle equipped with ADAS, V-boxes, and cameras. Data on speed, acceleration, and braking characteristics were collected across diverse driving environments in urban, hilly, and rural regions. Driver performance was evaluated in active (ADAS-enabled) and stealth (ADAS-disabled) modes. The results showed significant improvements in active mode, with fewer warnings generated (64, 132, 70, 54) compared to stealth mode (114, 190, 112, 111). Drivers demonstrated smoother braking (–0.25 to –3.75 m/s2) in active mode, compared to harsher braking (–4.5 m/s2) in stealth mode. Response times were shorter during rear-end events (0.5–2.2 s) and lane departure incidents (up to 3 s) in active mode, compared to longer times in stealth mode (up to 3 s and 7 s, respectively). Findings highlight ADAS’s potential to reduce road fatalities and enhance driving conditions in India, emphasizing its role in fostering safer driver behavior.
