Volvo Trucks Get New Smart Safety Features
In the car world, the name Volvo is synonymous with safety and forward-thinking technology — but the same can be said for the heavy truck world, too, and the company that brought you the three-point safety belt and O2 lambda-sensing emissions controls is bringing some of the same great ADAS safety tech to its* big trucks.
Among the laundry list of new safety tech are two systems that seem to be original to Volvo Trucks and have cyclists in mind. Developed to increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists while at the same time facilitating the work of the driver, the new Front Short Range Assist system was designed to detect a cyclist or pedestrian in the low-visibility “risk area” in front of the truck. The system uses both front and radar cameras. It warns the driver if there is imminent risk of a collision via audio cues and visuals on the screen. The second feature is a new door-opening warning system designed to warn if a pedestrian, cyclist, or (yikes) car is approaching the truck from behind on the side of the truck where the door is opened.
Both of those sound like they’d be, if not lifesavers in Chicago traffic, at least useful.
“We’re constantly developing and introducing additional safety systems that can enhance the driver’s capabilities, helping to protect both them and the people they share the road with,” says Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic & Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. “At Volvo Trucks, our long-term vision is zero accidents, and safety is at the core of everything we do. With these new systems we take important steps to accomplish these aims.”
Volvo says its new safety features were developed to the EU’s updated General Safety Regulation (GSR) policy, which will come into effect in July 2024. GSR, which makes several advanced driver support systems mandatory, aims to increase road safety and improve protection of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, and expects the new laws to save some 25,000 lives (and avoid 140,000 injuries) by 2038.
Volvo Trucks believes its trucks now meet or exceed those new GSR rules, ensuring that fleet buyers ordering heavy-duty trucks from the company today won’t need to worry about the new rules when they come into effect.
Source | Images: Volvo Trucks.
* Yeah, yeah — I know they’re not the same company. But, like, they kinda are.
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