Autoglass opens new centres to cater for safety camera recalibrations

Autoglass has opened four new centres in response to an increasing demand for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) recalibration services.

One in four (24%) of all windscreen replacements carried out by the business in 2021 required ADAS recalibration.  

Due to the complexity of the process, and the need for stable testing conditions, the recalibration of vehicle safety sensors will usually need to take place in the controlled environment of a centre rather than being performed by a mobile technician, it says.

The new ‘pod-style’ centres, in Basildon, Colchester, Warminster and Brent Cross, have been opened in locations such as retail car parks aim to ensure easy access for customers and to minimise downtime.  

Tim Camm, technical training manager at Autoglass, said: “Recalibration is critical for these safety systems to be fully functional, but it is still too often just an afterthought for many drivers.

“These new centres provide more locations where we can accurately recalibrate vehicles’ ADAS sensors, minimising the time drivers must spend off the road and, most importantly, improving the safety of the UK’s drivers.” 

ADAS systems are set to become even more prevalent in the UK in future, with regulation coming into effect this year which will make it mandatory for all new vehicles to include windscreen-fitted advanced safety cameras which allow for emergency braking, lane keeping and intelligent speed assistance.

The European Commission has estimated that the increase in these technologies is expected to save over 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038. 

Earlier this year, Autoglass rolled out new Bosch Connected Recalibration tools across all its centres, meaning it can complete over 98% of recalibrations in-house, reducing the need for dealership referrals.