The importance of windscreen calibration

The advancement made in advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) over the past few years is quite overwhelming.

With features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keeping assist becoming more widely available, automatic driving assistance systems are helping to reduce the amount of driver-related accidents.

Research conducted by Euro NCAP, revealed that effective AEB systems have helped towards a 38% reduction in rear-end collisions.

But have you made the connection between such systems and your windscreen…

Safety systems such as AEB, lane keep assist, night vision cameras and adaptive lighting all use radar, laser, or camera sensors, which are usually located behind a car’s windscreen. If your windscreen is compromised, this immediately reduces the effectiveness of any ADAS.

After all, a system can only work as well as the information being fed into it.

Windscreen calibration

If you have advanced driving assistance systems running on your vehicle and you’ve had (or are planning) a windscreen replacement, you will also need your windscreen calibrating.

Windscreen calibration involves adjusting the parameters of a camera lens to ensure that the sensors capture a complete image of the vehicle and the road. Without this calibration, then your ADAS will read and process the wrong information, and simply won’t work.

Currently, all vehicle manufacturers state windscreen calibration is required following a collision or replaced windscreen. However, many car owners are unaware of this, and don’t fully understand the important role windscreen calibration plays.

Impact on fleet

Thatcham Research predicts by 2020, around 40% of new vehicles be fitted at least two types of ADAS as standard. For fleets, the percentage of your vehicles with ADAS fitted as standard is likely to be much higher, as average vehicle age is low and vehicles are replaced more frequently with the newest, most advanced models.

Therefore, businesses, with the help of contract hire providers like ourselves, need to make it an integral part of their fleet policy to advise drivers on how to effectively maintain their vehicles, with a particular emphasis on technology.

Windscreen calibration is a specialist practise, and must be carried out under workshop conditions. Which means ADAS recalibration can only be carried out at an ADAS centre.

For convenience, many company car drivers opt for windscreen replacements at home or at work, a service that may no longer be available for calibration.

Does this mean that windscreen replacement could be become more troublesome?

The answer: a one-stop windscreen replacement and calibration service

Some windscreen repair and replacement providers are unable to carry out windscreen calibration under one roof. This means a driver may have to visit one site for windscreen replacement, and another for windscreen calibration.

Our windscreen repair and replacement partner National Windscreens, was quick to recognise the importance of windscreen calibration and has invested heavily this past year to ensure that all 108 fitting centres across the UK are equipped to undertake recalibration work.

This means that their one-stop service offers windscreen replacement and camera calibration at the same time, ensuring motorists can drive away safely in just one visit.

Pete Marsden, Managing Director at National Windscreens commented:

We provide manufacturer-standard glass and use approved recalibration equipment that maintains the vehicle warranty by utilising the vehicle’s in-built system to calibrate according to manufacturer recommendations.

With more than 75% of manufacturers stating that calibration must be undertaken in workshop conditions we are only able to satisfy these customer requirements and manufacturers’ recommendations by having a national network of fitting and calibration centres providing a one-stop service.

Booking windscreen repair, replacement and calibration

For Sandicliffe Motor Contract customers, the same procedure applies, call National Windscreens on 0800 616122.

On speaking to an adviser, you will be notified of any calibration work your vehicle may need and booked in accordingly at one their 108 ADAS centres.

National Windscreens is confident that on average, a UK motorist will never be more than 11 miles or 20 minutes away from a National Windscreens technician.

Should you have any questions, or require any advice on windscreen services for fleet, please don’t hesitate to contact our Technical Services department on: