48 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | March 2024 DING, DING, DING! An updated guide to automatic controls on your vehicles. By Ron Settler When did it start? Was it the flashing light on the dash to tell you your signal light was on (“I don’t need that! I can remember when my signal light is on!”), or the flashing light telling you to put on your seat belt? Rumour has it that when the seat belt light technology was first introduced, an irate driver was tired of looking at it and smashed out the light with her high-heeled shoe. Whatever our reaction to modern vehicle technology, I think the bells and whistles are here to stay. And please keep your shoes on! Now we have cruise control, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitors, lane departure warnings, and the list goes on and on. Just like all technology, when they work, they’re great. When they don’t work, that’s when the fun begins. I will refer to them all as ADAS: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Warning! This is just an article with general information. Make sure to read and understand your owner’s manual to learn how to operate your ADAS systems – how to shut them off if you don’t want to use them or if they aren’t working correctly. ADAS systems are not a substitute for driving carefully and paying attention. Cruise control The first factory-installed cruise control was introduced on the 1958 Chrysler Imperial, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that it became common in North American vehicles. Now most of us don’t want to make a long drive without it. Now we have adaptive cruise control (ACC), which senses how close the vehicle is ahead of you and sets the distance between your vehicle and the one ahead. Our customers like this feature, but just like anything else, it can break. It uses a radar-type sensor behind the front bumper to sense the vehicle ahead. After any serious front collision, this sensor needs to be reset. We get these resets done at the dealer when we’re repairing a vehicle with this feature. At times, the sensor or bracket can be damaged. The sensors are very expensive to replace ($800 to more than $2,000), plus installation, which often involves removing the bumper. Brackets are usually only sold with the sensor. However, they can be straightened if the sensor can still aim and work properly. Again, make sure you know how your cruise control and ACC work so you can use them safely – or turn them off if you don’t like them or if they’re misbehaving. Automatic emergency braking This technology, which isn’t as common as some of the other systems, automatically brakes your vehicle if it senses an imminent collision ahead. This is a nice safety feature but if the sensors are aimed wrong, it can cause an accident. SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance) certifies auto body repair shops in Saskatchewan. When we were getting our training on these systems, SGI told us of a car with automatic emergency braking that had been in a miTractors, Trucks & Growing Grain Make sure you know which systems your vehicle has. 007ea8_930/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo
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