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SAFETY ON THE ROAD

10th April 2008, Page 70
10th April 2008
Page 70
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Page 70, 10th April 2008 — SAFETY ON THE ROAD
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Mercedes-Benz keeps drivers safe

Words: Brian Weatherley

You see it

__ every day on the motorway. Trucks driving too close to each other. The apologists will tell you it's the result of fitting trucks with speed limiters. It isn't. It's bad driving. Drive too close to the vehicle in front and the outcome borders on inevitable. According to statistics from Mercedes-Benz, rear-end collisions are the single biggest type of HGV traffic accidents, representing a massive 39% of all crashes, followed by lane-departure incidents (33%) and road junction accidents (18%).

It's worrying enough that rear-end collisions could represent more than a third of all HGV accidents. But when you consider that in that total, an identical 39% occur without any form of braking action being taken by the driver, then there's more cause for alarm. Moreover, it's not hard to see a combination of driver inattention and foot-off cruise control providing a lethal cocktail when it comes to causing a rear-end shunt.

During the past decade, Europe's truck manufacturers have worked hard to reduce the risk of tail-end collisions. Some offer adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems, which use radar to detect a slower-moving vehicle in the path of the truck and, if the driver takes no action, backs off the throttle, or even applies a secondary braking system like a retarder, to maintain a safe distance between the two vehicles. With ACC providing a safety margin between the truck and the vehicle in front, you don't need to keep resetting the cruise control on a busy motorway, where the traffic is speeding up and slowing down.

Unfortunately, smart cruise controls systems have one major flaw. They're set up to only detect moving objects in front of the truck in order to calculate the speed differential of the two, and thus determine whether to slow the truck down. So, in theory at least, it's been possible to drive a smart cruise control truck into a stationary queue of traffic since its radar-based unit simply ignores anything that isn't moving.

Ultimate goal

thus, the ultimate goal of the truck-makers has been to come up with a cruise control system that can detect an imminent collision with a stationary (or very slow-moving object) and apply the service brakes automatically if the driver takes no action. Back in 2005, Volvo demonstrated just such a system to truck journalists on a test track in Sweden as part of a safety seminar.

More recently, Mercedes-Benz has come up with its emergency braking system called Active Brake Assist, which is an option on the new Actros. Indeed, at last month's roll-out, Mere said: "The new Actros is the first, and to date, only standard production truck to offer Active Brake Assist as an option."

ABA is a development of its previous Telligent proximity control system, which, similar to other radar-based ACC systems, makes sure a sensible gap is kept between the truck and any vehicle ahead when cruise control is engaged. But ABA adds the next step by automatically initiating emergency braking where there's a risk of a headto-tail collision, and where the driver takes no action.

When the radar on an ABA-equipped Actros detects a slow-moving object ahead, an ECU calculates the speed between the two and, if a collision seems likely, the driver gets a visual warning on the dash followed by an audible warning. As the gap closes, and the risk of impact increases, partial braking (30% of the full braking power) is applied. And if the driver still does nothing, the system automatically applies full braking power.

CM has witnessed Active Brake Assist in action. It's impressive, if not rather scary, as the test truck bears down at a high rate of knots on a slow-moving van or car. Just when a major prang seems inevitable, the system kicks in and the artie stops in front of the queue of traffic with inches to spare. It's not hard to imagine what would have happened if the truck's speed had not been checked. Like everything in life, nothing is perfect. Mercedes acknowledges: "Although Active Brake Assist cannot always prevent accidents, the application of full braking power at least reduces the collision speed and, therefore, the severity of the accident by a considerable margin." Or to put it another way: what would you rather be hit up the rear by an artic travelling at 15mph or 56mph? Cynics might argue a constantly vigilant driver is a cheaper alternative to an expensive optional emergency braking system. But accident statistics suggest you can't stay alert all the time, so when a driver does lose concentration, or drives too close to the vehicle in front, a Plan B looks infinitely more attractive.

Stay in Lane

Alongside its ABA system, Mercedes is pushing Telligent Lane Assist (ILA) in its Actros, which warns the driver if their truck is drifting out of position on a marked road. By using a camera set in the centre of the dash behind the windscreen, it monitors the road ahead, and, if the lane is marked with lines, can detect an impending lane departure.

With lane-departure accidents accounting for a third of all crashes, its use can't be underestimated, especially since 36% of all lane-departure accidents are caused by a vehicle veering out of its lane. Mercedes says: "TLA is of particular use to long-distance drivers on motorways."

With the launch of the new Actros, Mercedes is offering its premium tractor with a choice of Safety Packs, which include ABA and TLA, as well as its Telligent Stability Control that uses an artic's ABS and electronic throttle to reduce the risk of jack-knifing and skidding along with the equivalent electronic damper-based Telligent Roll Control for drawbars and other high CoG vehicles.

Insurance deal

In a big move, Mercedes has signed a deal with German insurance giant Allianz under which those operators who order a truck with an optional safety system could get a discount of up to 10% on insurance premiums, equivalent to a €800 (£625) a year saving. Under the scheme (currently only for German operators) Mercedes says: "If safety systems are installed, customers receive a discount on third-party liability insurance premiums and fully comprehensive insurance from Mercedes-Benz Bank".

And depending on whether an operator opts for the Safety Pack Classic (TPC, TSC, TLA, driver airbag and a Voith retarder) or the Safety Pack Plus (the same as the Classic but with ABA) they'll get either a 5% or 10% discount off their premium. Customers who order only Active Brake Assist still receive a 5% discount.

And, as an extra sweetener. Mercedes adds: "If the insured party also takes out a leasing or finance agreement with Mercedes-Benz Bank [on a new 2008 Actros], the premium for the first year is reduced by a further 10%. This amounts to an annual saving of up to €948 (£745) if a Safety Pack is installed.

Whether UK insurance firms will follow the German example has yet to be seen, but you need to weigh up the cost of the full Safety Pack not just against any reduction in premiums, but against the costs you could incur if your truck was involved in a rear-end collision. Things like the cost of repairs, loss of vehicle usage, hire/replacement vehicle costs, loss of no claims bonuses, costly litigation and, above all, the chances of serious injury or worse. • • Have you been offered a reduction in your insurance premiums by specifying extra safety systems? if you have, Commercial Motor wants to hear from you. Contact brianweatherley@rbi.co.uk


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