The issue of safety has always been of utmost concern to vehicle manufacturers and regulatory bodies. However, many safety features on commercial vehicles have often only been available as costly optional extras, rather than being included as standard. This has led to fleet operators being unable or unwilling to shoulder the extra cost of such systems.
According to the European Transport Safety Council, between 25 to 30 percent of all road deaths in Europe result from accidents involving trucks and approximately 50 to 65 percent of these fatalities are car occupants. There is therefore a strong case for active safety systems that aim to prevent/reduce the risk of road accidents involving commercial vehicles.
The number of injuries and fatalities arising from road accidents in Europe has been declining over recent years. From 1999 to 2000 the number of deaths fell by 2.6 percent. This is partly as a result of speed reduction measures etc and partly due to improved occupant safety systems in vehicles, such as airbags and side impact beams. However, despite the reduction in fatalities, the total number of road accidents actually increased during the same period by 0.2 percent. The European Commission is therefore keen on seeing measures introduced that lead to a reduction in the total number of accidents, approximately 80 percent of which are caused by driver error.
Many accidents involving commercial vehicles – trucks in particular - are a result of tyre failures or the vehicle jack-knifing or rolling over. The majority of active systems currently in use or under development aim to minimise driver error by recognizing potential critical situations in advance.
Until quite recently, most active safety systems were mechanically based, but technological advances have led to developments in electrical/electronic systems.
Such systems include electronic braking system (EBS), electronic stability program (ESP), roll-over prevention (ROP), front underrun protection system (FUPS) and brake assist (BA). Other systems include adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane assist (LA), tyre pressure warning systems and brake pad wear indicators.
Other systems are being planned for the near future, both active and passive. These include brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire systems, airbag pre-crash sensors, lighting systems such as brake force lighting and curve adaptive lighting and automatic dipping of lights for oncoming traffic.
In light of the ongoing drive to promote safety systems in Europe, we believe that the time is ripe to examine in detail how this important sector of the industry will evolve over the coming years. We are therefore proposing to launch this new study.
Aims of the study
The study aims to give a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the development and application of safety systems in commercial vehicles in terms of:
- Technology development
- Impact on vehicle and road safety
- Introduction timescales
- Broad volume projections
- Cost issues
- It will also examine the interdependence of the various technologies and highlight the “gateways” that enable the development or adoption of a given technology.
A subsidiary aim is to discover whether we are moving towards driverless systems via Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in the long term or whether these systems will fail to be effective in reducing the number of road accidents involving commercial vehicles.
The study will use evidence obtained from primary and secondary research in order to substantiate any conclusions drawn.
While the primary area of investigation is Europe, reference will be made to developments in North America and parts of Asia where relevant to the study.
The study
This study should be of particular interest to commercial vehicle manufacturers, component manufacturers, vehicle fleet operators and regulatory bodies.
The study will cover three main vehicle systems – Chassis Applications, Brake Systems and Steering Systems. Those subscribing early will have the opportunity to influence the research programme, while for those whose needs are particularly specific, we will be pleased to discuss undertaking additional work either during or after the study is completed, as a separate contract.
For a full proposal please email janewoodward@kgpauto.com