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Driver assistance features, often called ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), warn you about hazards or briefly take over braking or steering. They include lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning and backup cameras. None of them drives the car for you. Kentucky’s driver manual says they are “meant to assist you with driving tasks, not to drive the vehicle,” and that you are responsible for the vehicle at all times. On a road test, some states won’t let you use features such as parking assist or cruise control.
What the common features do, and where they fall short
| Feature | What it does | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Forward collision warning | Alerts you if you are closing too fast on the vehicle ahead | A warning only. You still have to brake. |
| Automatic emergency braking (AEB) | Applies the brakes automatically to avoid a forward crash or reduce how hard you hit (NHTSA) | Not a guarantee. It’s a backup, not a substitute for keeping your own distance. |
| Lane departure warning | Alerts you when you drift out of your lane | Alert only. You still steer. |
| Lane keeping assist | Steers or brakes to stop you drifting out of your lane unintentionally (NHTSA) | Kentucky warns features may not work properly on curves or in rain, snow, ice or fog. Hands stay on the wheel. |
| Adaptive cruise control | Adjusts your speed to keep a preset gap to the vehicle ahead (NHTSA) | You still brake for hazards. Oregon says not to use cruise control on wet, snowy or icy roads. |
| Blind spot warning | Lights up or beeps if a vehicle is in your blind spot | Kentucky still expects head checks. Turn your head before you move over. |
| Backup camera and cross-traffic alert | Shows the area behind you; warns of traffic crossing behind as you reverse (Louisiana lists “cross path detection”) | Kentucky says check behind the vehicle before you get in, for children and small objects. |
| Active parking assist | Steers (and on some cars brakes) into a parking space | Usually not allowed on a road test. |
Exact behavior varies by make, model and year. Kentucky’s manual says to read your owner’s manual to learn how your car’s features work and what their limits are.
Why handbooks warn against relying on them
California: “Be familiar with new technology”
California’s handbook (Section 8, Safe Driving) says more self-driving vehicles and vehicles with ADAS will be on the road, and that they may respond to road situations differently than a human driver would. That applies both to your car and to the cars around you. A vehicle ahead may brake on its own where you wouldn’t expect it.
Kentucky: ADAS safety features
Kentucky’s manual (Section Four, Before You Drive) gives these rules:
- Stay focused. Do your own head checks and use your mirrors and cameras to watch traffic.
- Know your car’s features and their limits from the owner’s manual.
- Expect features to work poorly in rain, snow, ice and fog, and on hills and curves.
- Keep sensors and cameras clean and undamaged.
- Keep the vehicle’s software up to date as the manufacturer recommends.
The habit problem for new drivers
If you learn in a car that beeps at every drift, you may lean on the beeps instead of building the scanning habits the road test checks, such as mirror checks and over-the-shoulder looks. Then you’re caught out in a car without those features, or when a sensor is covered in snow. Keep the features on and use them as the owner’s manual says, but do your own checks as if they weren’t there. When an alert goes off, respond safely first, then talk it through once you’re parked. An alert may mean you missed something, but it can also be a cautious setting or a sensor limit.
Can you use these features on your road test?
Often not. Kentucky’s manual says you will not be allowed to use certain safety features on the driving test, such as parking assist and cruise control. Other states have their own rules on backup cameras and sensors. Check them in backup camera and parking assist on the road test, and see which car you can use for the road test.
Practical tips
- Before driving a new car, find out which features it has and how to switch them on and off. Do this parked, not on the move.
- Turn your head anyway. Blind spot lights back up a shoulder check; they don’t replace it. See lane changes and blind spots.
- Keep your own following distance even with adaptive cruise. See following distance and space cushion.
- Backing up: check behind the car before you get in, then use mirrors, camera and a look over your shoulder. Kentucky warns mirrors don’t show the area right behind the vehicle.
- Clean the sensors in winter and after muddy roads.
Your seat and mirror setup still matters most. See seat, mirror and steering wheel hand position. For licensing in each state, start with learning to drive in the USA.
Sources
- Kentucky State Police, “Kentucky Driver Manual” (updated July 2026), Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Safety Features and Backing Up (kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov)
- California DMV, “California Driver’s Handbook, Section 8: Safe Driving (Continued)”, Be Familiar with New Technology (dmv.ca.gov)
- Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, “Class D & E Driver’s Guide” (DPSMV 2052, R08/25), Other Vehicle Safety Features (public.powerdms.com)
- Oregon DMV, “Oregon Driver Manual: Safe and Responsible Driving, Hazardous Conditions” (oregon.gov)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Driver Assistance Technologies” (nhtsa.gov)