3 Ways to Add Advanced Driver-Assistance Tech to Your Car

You don't need a new car to get some of today's vehicle-safety systems.

Bob Sorokanich | 

Oct 1, 2024 | 4 min read

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The term advanced driver-assistance systems, or ADAS, encompasses numerous high-tech safety systems in new cars that are intended to help prevent crashes. Whether it's blind-spot monitoring, backup cameras, or systems that can take over steering on the highway, there are complex safety nets in many new vehicles that are designed to help get you where you're going without incident.

If, however, you're not ready to buy a new car but still want ADAS, there are a few aftermarket products that can add some of this advanced technology to your current vehicle. Of course, no technology is a substitute for an attentive, alert, and cautious driver — and you should never use technology to compensate for distracted, drowsy, or impaired driving.

Aaron Miller | Capital One

Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane-Keeping Assist

This combination of features can be particularly helpful on long highway drives. Adaptive cruise control uses tools such as radars, cameras, and computer-vision systems to determine the nature of the traffic ahead of you and help ensure your vehicle's set speed doesn't result in a collision.

Lane-keeping assist generally uses cameras to determine whether your vehicle is centered in its lane. Some systems can guide the car back into position if wandering is detected.

If your vehicle didn't come from the factory with either of these systems, there is an aftermarket alternative. Comma, a tech startup founded by former hacker George Hotz, offers the Comma 3x system.

The product dates back to 2016, with the introduction of the Comma One, an aftermarket camera unit that promised to add adaptive cruise control to compatible vehicles that didn't already have it.

In 2020, Consumer Reports rated the updated Comma Two higher than every factory-installed automaker ADAS system in an extensive test. Automotive enthusiast publication Car and Driver compared the Comma Two favorably with General Motors' Super Cruise and Tesla's Autopilot semi-autonomous driving systems. Comma's latest product, Comma 3x, is intended to improve further on that result.

Comma 3x is compatible with a long list of U.S.-market vehicles and starts around $1,250. It uses a windshield-mounted camera to monitor the road ahead, watching for curves, changing lane markings, or slowing or stopped traffic.

The system uses a cable that plugs into a standard on-board diagnostics port under your car's dashboard. Installation steps are outlined on the company's website.

Aaron Miller

Blind-Spot Monitoring

A blind-spot monitoring system is intended to help prevent drivers from hitting vehicles in their blind spots — or those that come up quickly from behind. The systems generally use technology such as radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors.

Blind-spot monitoring is included on many new cars, and there are aftermarket kits available to add it to your existing vehicle. However, be warned: This kind of installation work can be complex and is generally best left to the professionals.

Most aftermarket blind-spot monitoring kits require you to remove your car's rear bumper cover and install sensors behind the bumper, while others require you to drill holes into your exterior mirror housings or bumper cover.

Even some kits available on Amazon can require you to engage in fairly complex wiring tasks, making this an operation that might be above and beyond what many do-it-yourself mechanics are comfortable with.

Aaron Miller

Backup Camera

While a backup camera isn't quite on the same level as an autonomous system that can steer or brake for you, a clear view to the rear can give you peace of mind when you're maneuvering in a tight parking lot — especially if your vehicle's rear window is small or your view out the back is blocked by passengers or cargo.

Adding an aftermarket backup camera can be a straightforward process, though some products are more complex than others.

Car and Driver tested several aftermarket backup cameras and found the Wolfbox G840S the best overall pick. It displays through a 12.0-inch monitor that installs over your vehicle's rearview mirror and includes a front-facing dash cam that can record and store video in case of a collision.

If someone taps your bumper in a crowded parking lot, the camera can even take photos while your car is parked. That said, installation of this particular camera involves running wires from the rear of your vehicle to the rearview mirror, meaning it might be wise to let a professional handle the job if you're uncertain of your wiring skills.

Bob Sorokanich

Bob Sorokanich is a car-obsessed journalist and editor who manages to maintain an old Mini Cooper and a love affair with automobiles while living in New York City. When he's not thinking about cars, he's riding his motorcycle, and when he's not riding his motorcycle, he's anticipating his next joy ride.