There are many features that are designed to make heavy vehicles safer for everyone. There are many accidents that occur because of blind spots and lack of use of vehicle safety technology. There are even technologies that can add to the comfort of the driver and the passengers.
Whether you are purchasing a new or used heavy vehicle, you need to make sure that your safety and that of the people on the road are secured. There are many protection systems that can be fitted such as pedestrian protection along with technologies for avoiding crashes and providing general safety. In this article, we are going through some of the technologies available. One such example is ESC or electronic stability control system that can correct any deviations from the course set by the driver by applying brakes to a certain set of wheels. It does this by monitoring the inputs of the driver such as the steering angle and braking level along with the performance of the vehicle. This will come in useful when there is a loss of directional control. Sometimes if there is a trailer attached to the vehicle, these can swing uncontrollably when you brake. So it is best to have an ESC system in the towing vehicle.
The trailer roll stability (TRS) system can monitor the weight distribution of the sides of the trailer along with the speed of wheels and predict a rollover threshold. So when the actual speed of the trailer comes close to this, brakes will be applied by the TRS system to prevent rollover. Sometimes there can be an accident when you are reversing the vehicle. Larger vehicles tend to have large blind spots so you need to have a system that can detect any pedestrian or even an object perceived as a crash thread. This is what the autonomous reverse braking (ARB) system does. It will detect a crash thread through the use of optical sensors and radar so that it warns the driver. If the driver doesn’t heed the warning, the system itself can apply brakes to minimise a collision.
The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system can warn the driver when it detects a crash threat in front of the vehicle. It can apply braking as well. Crash threats are detected by the use of optical sensors and radar. This system can greatly reduce the risk of colliding with a vehicle that is going the same way. And to prevent any trailer attached to the vehicle from swinging around too much at the time of braking, you can have an antilock braking system fitted to the trailer. There are advanced systems of AEB that can detect cyclists and pedestrians. EBS is an electronic braking system that provides an immediate brake response the moment you apply brakes. This is a great way of improving the stopping distances and performance of the braking system. It also contributes to a quick and immediate brake release contributing to reducing brake drag.