Improvements in design and technology can influence heavy-vehicle safety in two ways. First, the performance of the vehicle itself can be improved, to make it better at avoiding or surviving crashes, and second, vehicle-based technologies may be employed to help the driver perform better by being more aware of his or her surroundings, physical and mental state and driving performance. Crash statistics show that 85% of fatalities and 78% of injuries in crashes involving large trucks are people outside the truck. In fatal two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger car and a large truck, 98% of the fatalities are occupants of the passenger vehicle. Primarily for this reason, most research on heavy-truck safety design and technology concentrates on ways to help trucks avoid crashes. Despite a wealth of research and product development, many new technologies are not purchased in significant numbers by heavy-truck buyers. Effective deployment of advanced safety technologies and hence the realization of their potential safety benefits depend on business, legal, economic, and regulatory factors. This section of circular E-C117 looks at the following aspects of vehicle design and technology: vehicle braking, handling, and stability; seeing and being seen; improving driver awareness; modifying driver behavior; onboard condition and performance monitoring; longer-term technologies; truck sizes and weights; surviving the collision; protecting others; and technology deployment.
Samenvatting