To promote the production of safer trucks, Euro NCAP is introducing a new assessment plan that evaluates driver assistance technology
- Euro NCAP is launching a new program to assess truck safety, starting with driver assistance technologies.
- The aim of the program is to go beyond the minimum regulations and provide a rating system for fleets and insurers.
- Crash tests will begin in 2030 and the first safety assessments will be published in November 2024.
While transport trucks make up just 3 percent of all vehicles on Europe’s roads, they are involved in almost 15 percent of fatal accidents on the continent. To address this worrying trend, Euro NCAP, the region’s independent road safety tester, will begin testing driver assistance technologies designed to improve truck safety.
As with passenger vehicles, Euro NCAP plans to conduct its own safety assessments on new trucks to give fleet operators a sense of which models they should buy. Matthew Avery, director of strategy development, says the safety organization worked with cities, insurers, trucking companies, legislators and others to develop a rating system that goes beyond government regulation.
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“New regulatory requirements have forced manufacturers to increase safety performance,” Avery said. “However, our goal is to advance best practices in all areas of vehicle safety and not just adhere to minimum standards, a goal we have successfully achieved in passenger cars.”
As you can imagine, making trucks safe is not easy. Like Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, explains that due to their size and weight, commercial vehicles are generally more dangerous than smaller vehicles, especially for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists.
To ensure safety, Euro NCAP’s new testing regime will mimic real-world collisions. The organization also wants to place an initial focus on driver assistance technologies and not introduce crash testing until 2030 to make this program more affordable for truck manufacturers.
The main safety technologies assessed by Euro NCAP are: Intelligent Speed Adaptation, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), AEB for Vulnerable Road Users, Lane Keeping System, Turning AEB and Collision Prevention and Camera Monitoring Systems.
“Euro NCAP’s new Truck Safe rating system will be an industry first, enabling all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess truck safety levels,” said Avery. “This not only increases driver safety, but also creates opportunities for operators to invest in the safest vehicles, making the system attractive to insurers and freight shippers alike.”
Euro NCAP will test vehicles by sector, with a focus on urban delivery vehicles, highway distribution vehicles, long-distance transport vehicles and dump and refuse trucks. The first reviews will be published in November 2024.
