Proven in European study: Volvo Trucks` active safety systems

Communiqué de presse
Proven in European study: Volvo Trucks' active
safety systems improve traffic safety
When the first results of the pan-European euroFOT field study are presented in
Brussels on June 26, the conclusion is clear: Volvo Trucks' active safety systems help
drivers avoid accidents.
The euroFOT (FOT = Field Operation Test) project has been under way for almost four
years. It encompasses a total of 28 partners who, on behalf of the EU, have studied
systems designed to help drivers of cars and trucks detect risks, prevent accidents and
make driving more efficient.
Volvo Trucks participated in the study as part of a Swedish team together with Volvo Car
Corporation and the Chalmers University of Technology.
"In our part of the project we studied 30 trucks operating with two haulage firms, DHL
Tradeteam in Britain and Nijhof Wassink in the Netherlands. We examined the
effectiveness of three systems: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning and
Lane Keeping Support," says Karsten Heinig, manager of the project at Volvo Trucks.
15 percent risk reduction
For Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW), which are
used together to maintain a safe distance behind the vehicle in front and thus avoid rearend collisions, the study reveals that the number of rear-end impacts on motorways can
be cut by up to 15 percent for trucks equipped with the system. The study also shows that
there is considerable potential for increasing that figure.
"On average, the system is used less than half of the driving time. If usage increases, this
will bring about a further reduction in accidents. We have our work cut out for us here coaching and training drivers," explains Karsten Heinig, and continues:
"There is also some technical scope for us to make the system more user-friendly."
As regards Lane Keeping Support (LKS), the statistical basis is too small to be able to
draw any reliable conclusions on accident avoidance. Having said that, it has been proven
that the system does help drivers maintain a steadier course on the road.
ACC, FCW and LKS have not shown any negative effects on driver behaviour.
"We are sometimes asked if we aren't worried that these systems might disturb drivers or
cause them to lose their focus behind the wheel. But data analysis in euroFOT has shown
no such effect," says Karsten Heinig.
In the study, each truck was equipped with five video cameras:
1.One facing ahead, filming the driver's view in the direction of travel
2.One that covers the driver's blind spot on the passenger side
3.One that films the driver's right foot
4.One attached to the A-pillar that films driver behaviour
5.One directed at the driver's face, registering the driver's eye movements.
Together with all available data from the truck's onboard electronic control units (ECU)
including parameters such as current speed, this filmed footage provides entirely unique
material totalling about 70 TB of data. Four million kilometres of truck traffic is now
ready for analysis, and another four million kilometres can be obtained from the system data also being made available to the academic world thanks to partnership with
Chalmers.
"This is material that will serve as a rich source as we now step up the pace of
development for safer traffic," says Karsten Heinig.
Facts about euroFOT
The euroFOT project is financed by the EU and encompasses 28 organisations such as
vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, research institutes and universities. More than 1000 cars
and trucks were involved in the study.
In the Swedish part of the project, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Trucks and the
Chalmers University of Technology worked together to develop suitable methods for
conducting the study and for analysing the collected data.
For more information contact:
Annie Vonck, tél. +32 2 4825385, e-mail [email protected]
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Volvo Trucks fournit des solutions de transport intégrales pour les clients professionnels et dont les choix sont dictés
par leurs activités professionnelles. La société offre une gamme complète de véhicules, des poids moyens aux poids
lourds, avec un réseau international performant de 3 000 points d'entretien dans plus de 140 pays. Volvo Trucks est
une partie du Groupe Volvo, l'un des premiers fabricants mondiaux de véhicules, de bus, d'engins de chantier, de
systèmes de transmission pour la marine et les applications industrielles, ainsi que de composants et de services
aéronautiques. Le Groupe fournit également des solutions de financement et de services.