1. Short Version

2. Safety

3. Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck

4. Traffic Accidents Involving Trucks

5. The Safety Technology of Tomorrow

The safety technology of tomorrow

• Stability control for trailer combinations
  
  
• The Lane Assistant learns to steer
  
  
• Cornering assistant: taking bends at a safe speed
  
  
• Parking system: maneuvring with absolute precision

Brussels, May 11, 2006
DaimlerChrysler is constantly engaged in research and development activities for new and additional support and safety systems, and even the revolutionary, new Active Brake Assist emergency braking aid is only one of many future-oriented projects, albeit a particularly important one. In the interests of traffic safety, a great deal of effort is devoted to enhancing and refining existing systems as well as realising new ideas. While the EU project aimed at halving the number of road accident deaths by 2010 is still under way, further support and safety systems will be incorporated into the Mercedes-Benz Actros – to ensure that it also remains the Safety Truck in the future.

Tailback Assistant

Slow-moving traffic also has its dangers: while the existing proximity control system is ideal for use in flowing traffic, Mercedes-Benz is developing the Tailback Assistant to relieve driver workload in stop-and-go or slow-moving traffic in densely populated areas. This is effective until the vehicle comes to a halt and measures distances by means of an infra-red beam. Unlike the radar of the proximity control system, this is also effective in the area immediately in front of the vehicle. Another difference is that unlike proximity control, the Tailback Assistant cannot allow the vehicle to proceed automatically after a halt, as the traffic conditions, junctions with traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are likely to require further stops. After a halt, the vehicle is therefore only accelerated back to the speed preset by the driver when he operates the accelerator pedal.

Road Departure Avoidance:

Road Departure Avoidance is a further development stage of the Lane Assistant. This is an active safety system which sounds an acoustic warning and guides the truck back to its lane by applying specific brake pressure to one of the wheels. This function is not just similar to the braking intervention provided by Telligent stability control, but is also based on intelligent networking of the Lane Assistant and stability control functions. In this case too, the driver always exercises the ultimate control: any braking or steering manoeuvres immediately switch off the system.

The Lane Assistant learns to steer

In addition to rear-end collisions, drifting off the road is one of the main causes of serious truck accidents. As a further development of the already successful Lane Assistant, which is available as special equipment, this passive system has been made into an active system which intervenes in the vehicle’s steering. This technology is being developed under the name Road Departure Avoidance.

If the vehicle approaches the side lane marking without any operation of the indicators, the driver feels a countervailing force in the steering. This feedback from the steering wheel intuitively causes him to steer the vehicle back on course, before the acoustic warning signal of the Lane Assistant is sounded. The effect is further reinforced by a gradual increase in the feedback from the steering wheel, indicating that the vehicle is in danger of drifting out of its lane, the closer the truck approaches the lane marking.

Cornering assistant: taking bends at a safe speed

Every driver is familiar with the tricky situation where a bend unexpectedly tightens as it progresses. In a typical case a driver might underestimate the radius of the bend at a motorway exit, or misjudge the dynamics or centre of gravity of a fully-laden semitrailer combination. The Cornering Assistant ensures that such situations do not become critical to safety.

Using the data from the onboard navigation system, the microprocessor of the Cornering Assistant generates a model of the road ahead of the truck. On the basis of the road contours obtained in this way, it is able to define a maximum, non-critical speed and continuously compare this with the actual vehicle speed, the road contours and the roll angle of the truck. If the vehicle speed approaches the critical range before a bend, the driver is given a two-stage warning at an early stage, before entering the danger zone. The Cornering Assistant demonstrates how different systems can be networked to produce new safety benefits.

Parking system: manoeuvring with absolute precision

However, it is not only with spectacular emergency braking or Lane Assistants on motorways that the cause of improved safety can be furthered. Owing to the large dimensions and high seating position, precise manoeuvring with a heavy truck in confined spaces is an art which requires a great deal of sensitivity and experience on the part of the driver. The parking aid with ultrasonic sensors at the front and rear makes manoeuvring easier and avoids expensive and annoying collision damage. Yellow warning lamps provide information in stages about the distance to obstacles immediately before or behind the truck, up to a maximum of 230 cm. A combination with ultrasonic sensors at the rear of a semitrailer is also possible to avoid collisions when docking at loading bays.

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Telligent Lane Assistant: The Telligent Lane Assistant warns the driver when the vehicle is in danger of leaving its lane unintentionally. For this purpose it uses a camera to constantly monitor the distance between the vehicle and the lane markings. If the truck appears likely to cross the lane marking, the driver is alerted by a noise similar to that produced by a corrugated surface on the relevant side.

Telligent proximity control: Telligent proximity control relieves driver workload on motorways and other trunk roads. When the system detects a slower-moving vehicle ahead, it automatically brakes the truck with a maximum of 20 percent braking power until a specific distance previously set by the driver has been restored. If the vehicle ahead accelerates, or if the truck driver changes to a clear road lane, the proximity control system automatically accelerates the truck back to its preset speed. This system is also the basis for the new emergency braking aid Active Brake Assist.

Mercedes-Benz Safety-Truck - the truck of the future is already available from dealers: The future is already here: the Safety Truck by Mercedes-Benz is already a reality today, as a unique vehicle which combines all the driver support and safety systems currently available. The latest development highlight is the new Active Brake Assist system (emergency braking assistant). This automatically initiates emergency braking action if a collision with a vehicle travelling ahead is unavoidable, thereby considerably reducing the severity of the consequences. It is therefore entirely realistic to claim that Active Brake Assist will save lives. As a major advantage, the Safety Truck is based on the Actros heavy truck and is already available from any authorised Mercedes-Benz outlet throughout Europe.

Unique safety feature: the new Active Brake Assist system (emergency braking assistant) comes as standard on the Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck: Safety is the first priority in the vehicle development activities of Mercedes-Benz. Safety for both the driver and all other road users. When it comes to protecting people only the very highest standards will suffice, and the vision of accident-free driving lies behind all these development efforts. As a medium-term goal, accident levels are to be cut by half within a period of 15 years. With the Actros, Mercedes-Benz therefore wishes to produce the world’s safest truck. The Safety Truck based on the Actros shows what is already feasible – no truck in the world is safer. It sets new standards with its driver support and safety systems, as witnessed by the new, unique Active Brake Assist.

Soon to be a familiar sight on the roads of Europe - the Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck: In terms of road safety, it would be an attractive prospect if more trucks on the European road network were equipped with every assistance system available on the market. DaimlerChrysler with its Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck is currently the only truck manufacturer to be marketing a vehicle equipped with every assistance and safety system currently available: a truly unique truck. The latest development highlight is the new Active Brake Assist system (emergency braking assistant). This automatically initiates emergency braking action if a collision with a vehicle travelling ahead is unavoidable, thereby considerably reducing the severity of the consequences. It is therefore entirely realistic to claim that Active Brake Assist will save lives. As a major advantage, the Safety Truck is based on the Actros heavy truck and is already available from any authorised Mercedes-Benz outlet throughout Europe.

Driver-fitness safety and passive safety: The Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck is also equipped with a variety of safety features to further enhance driver-fitness safety and passive safety levels. The ideal ergonomics of the Actros cab exemplifies this, with its adjustable steering wheel, shift knob integrated in the driver's seat armrest and the comfort air suspension driver’s seat, further underlined by the automatic climate control system and the auxiliary air conditioner to improve driver-fitness safety. If, despite all these precautionary measures, an accident should occur, the driver and co-driver are protected in a strong cab by seats with integral seatbelts, airbags with belt tensioners and, above all, by the robust, protective cell formed by the cab structure.

Safety Truck improves visibility when driving in rain with spray guards in the wheel arches: The Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck abounds with seemingly minor but nonetheless impressive details such as the spray guards in the wheel arches, available since the launch of the Actros. These spray guards in the wheel arches help to significantly improve visibility for other road users. They provide effective protection against clouds of spray forming on wet road surfaces. The top photo shows the standard Actros while the lower photo shows a cab not equipped with the spray protection system with its special drain channels. The optional daytime driving lights are already mandatory in many European countries, at least during the darker months of the year. These help other road users to see the truck under unfavourable lighting conditions, e.g. when the sun is low or when driving along tree-lined avenues.

Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck - protection for other road usersd writ large: On the Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck, protection for other road users is writ large, one example being the standard front underride guard. This prevents any car involved in a head-on collision with this truck getting trapped under it, thereby keeping the safety cell formed by the car’s passenger compartment relatively intact. Mercedes-Benz has tested this in crash tests involving a truck and a standard medium-size passenger car at collision speeds of 60 km/h.

New mirror system ensures a safe all-round field of view: Improved all-round visibility for the driver and a substantial safety bonus for other road users especially pedestrians and cyclists – is assured by this updated mirror system which now all but totally eliminates blind spots. The front mirror, available for the first time ever, shows the driver what is immediately in front of the vehicle and at the transition point to the side. Positioned further out from the vehicle, the two main mirrors improve rear visibility significantly. The field of view is increased still further through the use of mirror elements with enhanced convexity. The standard-fit wide-angle mirrors on the left and right sides of the vehicle with their new position below the main mirrors also help to reduce blind spots to a significant extent.

Mercedes-Benz Telligent stability control: The Telligent stability control in the Mercedes-Benz Actros is the equivalent of the familiar Electronic Stability Program (ESP) installed in passenger cars. Within the physical limits, it prevents a semitrailer combination from developing a skid. A sensor detects any tendency to oversteer, whereupon the stability control system first reduces the engine power and then applies brake pressure to specific wheels to keep the vehicle on course. It also intervenes in the braking system of the semitrailer. The above photo shows the Mercedes-Benz Actros Safety Truck with the Telligent stability controlin action, demonstrating how confidently and safely it sails through the VDA lane avoidance/swerve test. The lower photo shows a truck attempting the same without the benefit of the Telligent stability control system.

Mercedes-Benz Telligent stability control: Following the success of its passenger-car equivalent, the Telligent stability control system has now also proven itself to be an effective safety-enhancing system in commercial vehicles. Within the physical limits, it prevents a semitrailer combination from developing a skid. A sensor detects any tendency to oversteer, whereupon the stability control system first reduces the engine power and then applies brake pressure to specific wheels to keep the vehicle on course. It also intervenes actively in the braking system of the semitrailer. The photo (above) shows the Mercedes-Benz Actros Safety Truck with the Telligent stability control at work, with the vehicle smoothly negotiating a circular track. The lower photo illustrates what happens if a truck-trailer combination attempts to negotiate the same track without the Telligent stability control system.

The emergency braking system mitigates the effects of accidents and saves human life: A topical example of the ongoing pursuit of safety innovations is Active Brake Assist (an emergency braking system), available with immediate effect on the Mercedes-Benz Actros, to date the only truck to be equipped with it. Derived from the proximity control system, this emergency braking system automatically initiates emergency braking action if it detects an impending collision with a moving obstacle. This substantially reduces the speed of collision, dramatically reducing the effects of an accident. The Active Brake Assist system of the Mercedes-Benz Safety Truck uses the three radar beams of the proximity control system. If the system detects a potential collision, the driver is first warned visually, then acoustically. If the driver does not respond, partial braking with approx. 30% of full performance is initiated, followed by full braking if necessary. The forecast is therefore very realistic: this new Active Brake Assist system will save lives.

Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG