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Safe...Safer...Safest

15th August 2002, Page 12
15th August 2002
Page 12
Page 12, 15th August 2002 — Safe...Safer...Safest
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

I by Brian Weatherley

Jut of the 41,000 fatalities recorded ?very year on the European Union's pads, 4,000 of them involve heavy rucks with 400 of those deaths including he occupants of the trucks themselves.

On the face of it, those figures seem to underpin the comparatively good accident statistics for HGVs representing 9% and 0.9% respectively of all road EU deaths. However, Scania wants to see those figures reduced even further, and In a recent presentation from Erik Dahlberg, of the Swedish manufacturer's

road safety research unit. CM was offered an interesting glimpse into the future.

According to Dahlberg, HGV safety can be divided into two specific areas: active and passive. 'Active' is all about preventing an accident in the first place: "It has to be the highest priority," says Dahlberg. 'Passive' is about minimising the impact (literally) to the occupants of a truck and other vehicles when things go pear-shaped. To demonstrate currently availabl hardware, Scania has developed what calls its "Safety Concept Vehicle".

It boasts a variety of technologie ranging from relatively straig,htforwar devices like "smart" cruise contr.( (ACC), that automatically maintains safe gap between the truck and othe vehicles when the HGV is using cruis control on a busy road, to mor advanced night-vision systems derive from military technology.

With a few exceptions most of th items could be fitted to today's produc tion line trucks—the stumbling block i whether operators will pay for them a optional extras.

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Organisations: European Union

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