Since new cars incorporate a series of mandatory driving assistance systems, thousands of lives have been saved. They serve to avoid accidents and/or mitigate their consequences, some of them in a really effective way, as is the case of automatic emergency braking. So much so that its incorporation at other levels is now being considered. It would be interesting to come to Heavy vehiclesthose that exceed 4,500 kg in weight to improve road safety.
This is a proposal that comes from the United States and its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The equivalent there of our DGT wants to carry out this measure together with the Federal Motor Transport Safety Administration (FMCSA). They are concerned that these vehicles, mainly trucks and buses, will cause more than 60,000 rear-end crashes a yearmost of it due to its size and the inability to stop quickly in an unforeseen situation.
With automatic emergency braking, it could be reduce up to a third of that total of such accidents. In fact, the NHTSA affirms that incorporating this system in heavy vehicles would prevent 19,118 accidents. That would also mean 8,814 fewer injuries and the saving 155 lives a year. These are numbers to take into account and that could make a difference with a relatively simple and more than proven system.
As with passenger cars, thanks to the vehicle’s radars and cameras, it could be detect an imminent collision and apply hard braking automatically if the driver doesn’t. It usually works at low speed situations, up to 50 km/h, hence it is really effective in urban environments. There are already many trucks and buses that incorporate this system, what the NHTSA proposes is that become mandatory in all newly produced ones, as has already happened with passenger cars and light commercials.
In any case, we will have to wait and see how this measure is resolved and also if after its probable approval in the United States extends to other countries.
Source: NHTSA
