Insurance Requirements to ensure calibration standards

As a highly standards-focussed company, at ADAS.ie we are looking forward to the new Insurance Industry Requirements (IIR) governing the repair of vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), coming into effect in the UK at the end of March, we expect them to become a standard for those working in the sector in this country, in the absence of Ireland-specific guidelines,

The requirements have been well flagged and we have worked over the past year to ensure our processes are in place to meet them. We don’t see the standards as a burden – on the contrary, they have served as a useful point of reference in the roll out of our dedicated ADAS centres.

Critically, the standards have brought together the finest brains in the sector, being the product of a cooperation across many stakeholders, including both UK and Irish insurance industries, as well as the regulatory body, and the experts at Thatcham Research, who oversee them.

The goal is to provide the motor insurance and repair industries with clarity on the calibration and repair of ADAS-equipped vehicles, ensuring staff are trained and competent, calibration equipment is fit for purpose and all details of the process are logged.

Under the requirements, the repairer shall:

  • identify the presence of ADAS on the vehicle and ensure it is recorded.
  • make sure repair procedures identify if inspection, realignment and calibration are required and why.
  • carry out the inspection, realignment and calibration activities set out within the repair procedures.
  • be competent in carrying out inspection, calibration, realignment and road tests.
  • make sure the calibration results confirm that the sensors are working in accordance with the vehicle manufacturer’s technical specification.
  • provide auditable records and a copy to the Asset Owner / Work Provider.

“At ADAS.ie we believe our highly trained staff are a competitive advantage and one which will be all the more relevant as the IIR guidelines take effect, given the emphasis they place on the competence of technicians working on the vehicles,” says ADAS.ie Managing Director Gerry Fitzgibbon.

Among the insurance companies operating in the Irish market requiring the IIR are Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Chubb, FBD, QBE, RSA and Zurich.