Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/778830
38 | Overdrive | February 2017 N ew trucks this year are re- quired to have an electronic stability control system that could add roughly $600 to vehicle costs. ESC systems improve directional stability and help protect against rollovers, skidding, spinning and jackknifing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expects the systems will prevent an estimated 49 deaths and 1,758 crashes annually. Some experts believe a mandate for automatic collision mitigation systems will come next. This more comprehen- sive technology links with ESC systems and mitigates impending rear-end collisions. Lane departure warning systems, which can be separate from or integrated with collision mitigation systems, use cameras to track lane markings on either side of the truck. If the truck begins to leave its lane and the driver hasn't used the turn signal, the system alerts the driver to take action. Collision mitigation and lane depar- ture systems provide audible, visible and/ or touch-based signals to warn the driver. However, the driver of an ESC-equipped truck will not notice the system unless it kicks in to prevent a loss of stability. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that collision avoidance systems could have prevented or lessened the severity of injuries in two-vehicle ac- cidents involving tractor-trailers by nearly 80 percent in 2011-12. Fleets using such systems point to impressive results. Wabco says users of its OnGuard collision mitigation system have reported an up to 87 percent reduction in accidents, yielding up to an 89 percent savings in accident costs com- pared to vehicles lacking the system. Last year, NTSB recommended that collision avoidance systems become standard on all new commercial and passenger vehicles. The agency has no authority to enact its recommendations. A notice of proposed rulemaking from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is possible this year, but is more likely in 2018, says Fred Andersky, director of government and industry affairs for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems. Autonomous trucks already have demonstrated the integration of collision mitigation, ESC and adaptive cruise sys- tems. Adaptive cruise allows the driver to maintain safe following distances without actively manipulating the accelerator or brake pedal. A collision mitigation system commu- nicates with an ESC system when sensors detect an impending loss of control. "What this really does is to give the driver options in a collision situation," Andersky says. "If the driver feels they are not going to be able to stop in time AUTOMATING SAFETY Bendix's Wingman Advanced and Wingman Fusion collision mitiga- tion technologies are designed to help drivers potentially avoid rear-end collisions or at least help reduce their severity. With stability control mandate taking effect, collision mitigation could follow BY JASON CANNON