Driver assistance systems (ADAS)

On 17 August 2026 the CBR announced that the material on driver assistance systems is being expanded. That expansion takes effect on 1 October 2026.

No extra questions are being added. The number of exam questions stays exactly the same. What changes is what the questions are about: no longer mainly "what does this system do", but "what is expected of you as the driver while this system is switched on".

There are no extra questions. They are different questions. And most courses have not been updated yet.

What exactly changes?

The shift at a glance. Note the last row: the guidelines themselves have been in the Rijprocedure B since 2023. What changes on 1 October is that the CBR designates them as exam material.

Topic	Until 1 October 2026	As of 1 October 2026
Core focus	Recognising symbols and systems.	Desired driving behaviour while the system is on.
Level of knowledge	Passive: what is this warning light?	Active: how do I use this safely?
Number of questions	Unchanged.	Unchanged. No questions are being added.
Framework	Guidelines were already in the Rijprocedure B, but were not exam material.	Introduction plus chapters 1 and 2 of the Rijprocedure B are explicitly exam material.
Legislation	Many systems optional.	ISA and AEB are mandatory in every new car (EU regulation, since 7 July 2024).

The EU requirement applies to new cars placed on the market from 7 July 2024; for new type approvals it already applied from July 2022.

This is the part most courses miss. The eight guidelines in chapters 1 and 2 did not come from nowhere: the CBR writes literally that they were developed on the basis of these seven principles. They sit in the Introduction of the Rijprocedure B, and the CBR names that Introduction explicitly as exam material. When a question stumps you, the answer is almost always here.

“The driver is always responsible for performing the driving task, so not the car or the assistance systems.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: The thread running through everything. If it goes wrong while a system was on, you are responsible, not the manufacturer and not the car.

“Good driving skill shows in safe, comfortable, social and adapted driving. This is allowed both with and without assistance systems.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: Assistance systems are permitted, not required, and not a disqualification. What counts is the result: are you driving safely, comfortably, socially and adapted to the situation?

“The driver reasonably knows what the assistance systems are for, how they work and how to use them as well as possible.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: "Reasonably" is the key word: you do not have to be a mechanic. You do have to know what a system is for and how to deploy it well.

“The driver knows that: names of assistance systems can differ between cars; despite having the same functionality, the implementation or way of operating them can differ; and road, weather and traffic conditions can affect how they work.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: Every brand invents its own name for the same system. And rain, snow, fog, dirt or missing lane markings can disrupt operation immediately.

“The driver knows what an assistance system can do and that the system has limits to what it can do.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: This is where most exam questions come from. Not "what does this system do" but "where does it stop". See the systems below.

“The driver can deliberately let the assistance systems inform or support him (with the exception of emergency systems).”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: Support is a conscious choice, not a default. The exception matters: emergency systems such as AEB are not chosen, they intervene.

“The driver recognises the risk of negatively adapting his own behaviour as a result of the assistance system. For example a shorter following distance because in an emergency the car will brake anyway.”

Rijprocedure B, Introduction

What this means for you: The principle almost nobody explains, and the one you get caught on. Technology must not make you lazier: following closer, checking mirrors less, or skipping the shoulder check because "the car sees it" is exactly what the CBR marks wrong.

The CBR bases the new questions on three places in the Rijprocedure B: the Introduction, and the "Rijhulpsystemen" heading in chapters 1 and 2. All nine are below, each with an example question in the new style.

1. Know which systems the car has before you drive

Before setting off you check which assistance systems the car has and how they work. That explicitly includes a car you do not know: a rental, someone else’s car, or a driving school car you are getting into for the first time.

“The driver checks in advance which assistance systems affect driving and how they work.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: You get into a rental car you do not know. What do you do before driving off?
You check which assistance systems it has and how they work, only then do you drive off.

2. Check sensors and cameras, and act on faults

Snow, dried mud, a sticker or a crack in the windscreen can blind a camera or radar. You check that they are clean and unobstructed, and you stay alert to fault messages while driving. If something fails, you adapt your driving to it.

“The driver checks that the sensors and cameras are clean and stays alert to faults and irregularities.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: While driving, a message appears saying your lane assist camera has no view. What do you do?
You assume the system is not working and steer actively yourself. You do not rely on the support.

3. Set the systems to produce the desired driving behaviour

Many systems are adjustable: your cruise control’s following distance, your lane assist’s sensitivity, your emergency brake’s warning threshold. You choose settings that match the behaviour the rijprocedure asks of you, not the setting that feels least annoying.

“The driver uses the settings of the assistance systems so that they contribute to the most desirable driving behaviour according to the rijprocedure.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: Your adaptive cruise control is set to the shortest following distance because otherwise people keep merging in. Is that allowed?
No. You set the system to a safe following distance according to the rijprocedure, not to whatever drives most conveniently.

4. Maintain an active driving posture

Even with systems on, you sit ready to take over immediately: hands on the wheel, foot near the pedal, eyes on the road. A system briefly taking over the steering is not a reason to sit back.

“The driver also maintains an active driving posture while driving with assistance systems, so that he can easily take over the driving task from the car.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: Your car maintains its own course and distance on the motorway. May you take your hands off the wheel?
No. You maintain an active driving posture so you can take over the driving task immediately.

5. Keep monitoring both the car and the traffic

The system does not look, it measures. You keep following both the traffic situation and what the car is doing, even when everything seems to be running itself.

“The driver continuously monitors the car and the traffic situation while driving, including when using the assistance systems.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: You are in a traffic jam using adaptive cruise control. What do you watch while the system does the work?
The traffic situation and what the car is doing. You keep following both continuously.

6. Observe for yourself and choose support consciously

You base your decisions on your own observation. The system is an extra pair of eyes, not a replacement. And you consciously choose whether you want support in this situation, it is a choice, not a default.

“The driver observes the situation directly himself. He consciously chooses whether to let the assistance systems support him.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: Your blind spot monitor gives no warning. May you change lanes based on that?
No. You look over your shoulder yourself; the system supplements your own observation.

7. Respond to warnings according to the rijprocedure

A warning is information, not an instruction to act abruptly. You respond as the rijprocedure prescribes: in a controlled way, and in line with what you observe yourself.

“The driver responds according to this rijprocedure to the information and warnings from the assistance systems.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: Your lane assist vibrates the wheel because you are crossing the line. What do you do?
You check your position and steer calmly back to the middle of your lane. No jerk at the wheel.

8. Switch systems on or off when the situation demands it

Weather, road surface, traffic density or your own condition can be a reason to switch a system off, or on. The system itself can ask for it too, for instance when it faults.

“The driver switches the assistance system on or off when the situation or the assistance system requires it.”

Rijprocedure B

Example question in this style: You drive onto a snow-covered road where the lane markings are not visible. What do you do with your lane assist?
You switch it off. Without visible markings the system can steer you the wrong way.

The Rijprocedure B applies to both exams, so this material comes back behind the wheel. You may use assistance systems: the CBR has allowed it since 2016, provided you show that you stay in charge of the technology.

Questions during the vehicle checks

Since January 2024 the examiner asks questions about assistance systems before or during the drive, just as about your tyres or oil level. Think: which systems does this car have, how do you switch off the lane assist, and why do the sensors need to be clean?

Setting up the navigation

Driving independently with navigation is a standard part of the car practical exam. You set it up yourself and drive the route.

Use during the drive

ACC, lane assist and blind spot detection may be on. The examiner watches how you use them: do you maintain an active driving posture, do you keep observing for yourself, and do you switch a system off when the situation calls for it?

Two exceptions

“The automatic parking system (for category BE that is for instance trailer manoeuvring assist) may not be used when performing the bijzondere verrichtingen.”

CBR Vademecum 10.4

During the bijzondere verrichtingen you have to show your own vehicle control, so automatic parking is out. The same goes for "hands-off" systems that take over the steering: the examiner then cannot assess what you can do.

These are in almost every modern car and can come up in questions, but they are too small for a page of their own.

eCall (automatic emergency call)

In a serious crash it calls 112 by itself and passes on your location and vehicle details, even when you no longer can. The system is mandatory in new cars, costs nothing and cannot be switched off. It is an emergency system, so you do not choose it.

Note: eCall only triggers in a heavy collision, usually tied to the airbags. In a minor bump nothing happens and you simply call yourself.

Hill hold assist

On a slope it holds the brake pressure for another one to two seconds after you lift off the brake, so you can pull away calmly without rolling back.

Note: the car does not pull away by itself. It only holds you still briefly. Applying throttle stays your job, and after those few seconds the system releases the brake.

Rear cross traffic alert (RCTA)

Warns you about traffic approaching from the side while you reverse out of a parking space. Useful precisely when parked vans block your view.

Note: the system does not look for you. Cyclists and pedestrians are regularly missed, so you keep looking around yourself.