When Fleets Address the Entire Vehicle System, Safety Follows

WHEN FLEETS ADDRESS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SYSTEM, SAFETY FOLLOWS

In 2017, ZF announced our Vision Zero—a safety-driven initiative in support of the commercial vehicle industry’s goal of zero accidents and fatalities. Through Vision Zero, ZF continues to showcase the benefits of integrating advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), anti-lock braking systems (ABS), steering and wheel-end technologies.

When these systems work together, they provide greater functionalities and enhancements that help make today’s commercial fleet vehicles safer. For example, ADAS technologies are designed to help increase the safety of a driving vehicle and improve the driver’s ability to react to dangers on the road. Adding ADAS to commercial vehicle trucks and trailers is one of the most effective ways for fleets and drivers to reduce accidents. In fact, recent data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that adding forward collision mitigation technology can reduce front-end commercial vehicle accidents by up to 44 percent*.

The next generation of commercial vehicle ABS, such as the WABCO Modular Braking System Platform (mBSP), works together with ADAS technologies to provide new safety capabilities. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) Stop and Go, for example, is a feature that is designed to enable a commercial vehicle to reduce speed down to 0 mph when following another vehicle. ACC Stop and Go maintains 0 mph until the vehicle detects that it is safe to increase speed once again (i.e., once the following vehicle increases speed), thus improving road safety, elevating driver assistance and increasing driver comfort.

When steering systems such as ZF ReAX work in concert with ADAS technologies, new safety features including active lane keep assist and active blind spot assist can be enabled. Active lane keep assist in particular helps drivers avoid one of the most critical events for large truck accidents—running out of a travel lane, either into another lane or off the road**.

Another critical aspect when considering overall commercial vehicle safety involves addressing the brakes at the wheel ends. The continued adoption of air disc brakes on commercial trucks and trailers helps ensure consistent braking performance when the driver needs it most. Additionally, air disc brakes can significantly reduce brake fade and increase the stopping distance of a vehicle when compared to drum brakes.

By addressing the entire commercial vehicle system—including the integration of ADAS, ABS, steering and wheel-end technologies—fleets can improve the safety and performance of their vehicles while helping ZF and the commercial vehicle industry achieve our shared goal of zero accidents and fatalities.*

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2020

**Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Office of Research and Analysis Publication No. FMCSA-RRA-07-017, 2007

Thanks for checking out the inaugural edition of The WABCO News Brake!We hope you enjoyed reading all about the new and exciting things that are happening in the world of WABCO.  You can always learn more by visiting us at wabco-na.com. Be sure to look for our next issue in just a few months.  Until then, we wish you all the best! Take care and we’ll see you down the road.