CIC task force presents ADAS problem statement

The Consumer Advocacy Task Force presented an ADAS problem statement during the Collision Industry Conference (CIC)’s meeting in Chicago late last month. 

CIC first announced the task force in April. The group was asked to present a problem statement during the November meeting, but Chairman Sean Carey said the statement was completed ahead of schedule. 

“ADAS, and ADAS calibration, are broad-ranging, complex, and constantly evolving,” the statement reads. “This is not a narrow technical issue that can be resolved by one company, one committee, or one segment of this industry. It touches calibration, liability, data access, training, equipment, repair procedures, the environment in which the work is performed, and, of course, consumer Safety.

It continues by saying that the task force believes ADAS is the greatest challenge the industry has ever faced and it needs input and cooperation from the entire industry. 

“The problem simply stated is: the lack of clear, consistent and verifiable protocols is widespread and needs to be addressed by the collective industry,” the statement says. 

This includes collaboration from repairers, OEMs, insurance companies, tool and equipment providers, training organizations, IT providers, and many other groups, the statement says. 

The Task Force created three separate reference outlines for the CIC body: 

“None of this output is meant to be definitive or exhaustive, and it resides as reference tools for the industry,” Carey said. “We hope the entire industry takes a moment to read them, and that those working actively on solutions use them as a reference going forward.”

He added that the impact on the consumer could have life-and-death consequences, which creates an immediate and urgent need for collaboration, change, and action. 

CIC Chairman Dan Risely said the CIC body will vote on whether to adopt the task force’s documents as an official work product during the CIC meeting on Nov. 3 in Las Vegas. 

During the open mic portion of the meeting, Aaron Schulenburg, Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) executive director, shared that another group was privately meeting to discuss ADAS standards at the same venue during CIC. 

“It is a small invitation-only group, meeting to discuss the creation of what could become a standards development organization, focused on ADAS calibration documentation and communication,” Schulenburg said. “I think it is something that our industry should be paying close attention to. Standards have this way of shaping expectations, of setting expectations, of influencing reimbursement, and ultimately affecting how repairs are performed.” 

ADAS standards should be developed with consideration of all factors, he said. 

“There is an important distinction and difference between building consensus through the hard work of engaging diverse viewpoints, versus manufacturing alignment by only engaging voices that are likely to agree,” he said. “Real consensus would stand scrutiny because it has been challenged, it has room for disagreement, and it becomes stronger because of that disagreement and because of that conversation.” 

Schulenburg said the effort shouldn’t be judged before the industry sees where it leads but noted that if standards are going to influence the future of collision repair, they should be developed in the open with representation from all stakeholders.

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