Any seasoned driver will tell you: driving is all about control. Whether you’re inching through a traffic jam or speeding through a highway, the more control you have — both over your vehicle and your own decisions — the safer and smoother the ride.

This principle is also steering the latest wave of innovation in automotive safety. As digital technology reshapes industries and regulations evolve in step with shifting driver behavior, car makers are responding with systems designed to put more control into the hands of drivers.

The most visible development is the pivot from passive to proactive safety.

For automobiles, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have gone mainstream. Once exclusive to premium brands, features like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking (AEB), and 360-degree camera systems are now standard in mid-market vehicles. More advanced systems, powered by research into autonomous driving technology, are also being tested piecemeal and gradually rolled out on highways, with Tesla, BMW, and Honda leading deployments in the United States, European Union, and Japan.

Over the years, ADAS, which are basically a collection of intelligent safety and automation features designed to reduce human error, are introducing vehicle protection features in modern cars that are more about prevention than reaction. Instead of relying solely on seat belts, air bags, and the stringency of traffic laws, car makers are giving their vehicles features like automatic parking assistance, traffic sign recognition, and driver monitoring systems.

These systems are designed to enhance comfort and convenience of driving on the road, reducing driver fatigue and stress, and ensuring drivers can always make the best decisions.

Moreover, advancements in connected vehicle technologies, including Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication and over-the-air (OTA) updates, create an environment in which vehicles can remain updated with the latest safety protocols and AI-powered driving enhancements.

Once the domain of luxury sedans and top-tier SUVs, ADAS that feature adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, even automatic evasive steering, have quietly become standard fare in many modern vehicles. The drop in sensor costs and the rise of smarter software have brought these features into even the most compact city cars, transforming the way everyday drivers experience safety.

Meanwhile, electric vehicle pioneers like BYD, NIO, and Rivian are raising the bar by pushing the boundaries of automobile innovation with AI-driven driver monitoring and seamless over-the-air updates.

Even vehicle tires are receiving upgrades. Automatic emergency braking systems (AEBs) are becoming an industry standard, and Goodyear’s SightLine smart tires can help drivers address blind spots in low-traction scenarios.

According to the company, it wanted to be able to detect obstacles on the road and when road conditions are dangerous. The automatic brakes would trigger with added braking distance to minimize collisions on the road.

“The AEB can be assertive way earlier,” Werner Happenhofer, vice-president of tire intelligence and e-mobility solutions at Goodyear, had said in reports. “They say, oh well, wait a minute, my maximum deceleration potential is probably just half a G because of the lower friction potential. Hence, the system would react way earlier if it spots a situation where a crash is imminent.”

Typical AEB systems are tuned for high-friction surfaces like dry asphalt, but Goodyear’s smart tire technology aims to prevent collisions even in low-friction environments like rain, snow, or ice.

“We follow the automotive embedded software standards,” Mr. Happenhofer said, “so we can integrate very easily with any of the OEMs and Tier 1 systems.”

Even for motorcycles, with their reputation as higher-risk vehicles because of their design and exposure to the elements, innovation is catching up. New models are coming out with features commonly found on cars such as blind spot, tailgate, and rear collision warnings. In luxury two-wheelers like the Ducati Multistrada, advanced assistance systems are enhancing rider safety levels via sensor technology, including radars.

Air bag jackets and smart helmets equipped with accelerometers and gyroscopes add an extra layer of real-time defense, some now paired with AR displays for safer navigation and communication.

A new era of risks and dangers

Yet, with all these developments that reduce physical risks come all new digital ones. Across the industry, reliability is becoming more defined by software as much as it is by hardware. As even roads and vehicles are now intertwined with digital technology, the need for cybersecurity becomes paramount.

For instance, the UNECE R-155 cybersecurity framework and Euro NCAP safety ratings are now influencing the industry’s development. Driver monitoring systems will be required in Europe by 2026, and it is expected that similar policies are emerging globally.

Moreover, software and digital connectivity are notoriously fallible. According to the annual dependability study conducted by global analytics, software, and consumer intelligence firm J.D. Power, drivers are becoming increasingly frustrated by connectivity problems and are citing it as the top issue concerning vehicle dependability.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity was recorded as the top problem in the industry for a second consecutive year, with built-in Bluetooth systems (4.6 PP100) and Wi-Fi (2.4 PP100) also being cited among the top problems related to software defects this year.

“While software defects comprise only 9% of the total problems owners experience, as vehicles become more software-reliant, this risk becomes more prominent,” J.D. Power’s report said.

“Of the top 10 problems industry-wide, half are related to smartphone integration, usage or connectivity. Keeping pace with the rate of change in smartphone technology is a challenge for the auto industry. Over-the-air (OTA) updates provide automakers the opportunity to overcome out-of-date software, with 36% of owners indicating they performed an OTA on their vehicle during the first three years of ownership. However, only 30% of these owners say there was an improvement after the update, while 56% of owners say there was no noticeable improvement.”

J.D. Power’s “2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study” is based on responses from 34,175 original owners of 2022 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from August through November 2024.

“While the increase in problems this year may be a thorn in the side of automakers and owners, it’s important to remember that today’s three-year-old vehicles were built during a time when the industry was grappling with major disruptions,” Jason Norton, director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, said. “Supply chain issues, record-high vehicle prices, and personnel disruption in the wake of the pandemic were problematic.”

As automakers continue to innovate and move past the disruptive effects of the pandemic, the industry will doubtless create new solutions to these lingering issues. Even in this new era of mobility, no matter how smart or fast or connected the world gets, the goal of modern vehicle design hasn’t changed: keeping the driver in command. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran