Euro NCAP begins new truck safety testing
Testing has started in labs across Europe as Euro NCAP’s Truck Safe programme gets underway.
The first scheme of its type for the sector, the programme is said to be designed to address the “disproportionate number of truck fatalities across Europe”, where trucks represent only three per cent of vehicles on Europe’s roads but are involved in almost 15 per cent of all EU road fatalities.
Euro NCAP expects the ratings to incentivise good safety performance, allow optimisation of operational safety and cost, and accelerate regulatory efforts to improve truck safety. The aim is to progress towards best practice safety, rather than just meeting minimum standards, according to Euro NCAP.
The first seven trucks to be tested are the, DAF XF, Iveco S-WAY, MAN TGX, Mercedes-Benz Actros, Renault Trucks T, Scania R-series, and the Volvo FH.
Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP said: “Euro NCAP’s Truck Safe rating scheme is a first for the sector and will enable all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess the safety level of trucks.
“Not only will this deliver enhanced safety for drivers but also create financial and strategic opportunities for those operators that invest in the safest vehicles, making the scheme attractive to insurers, shippers, hauliers and truck makers. The safest vehicle will also prove to be the most profitable.
“In creating a market for safety, Euro NCAP aims to encourage manufacturers and suppliers to innovate, further increasing the safety benefits of the scheme as the ratings evolve. Working together with road authorities and all actors in the heavy vehicle industry, we can reach Vision Zero.”
The new tests will address real-world collisions and encourage manufacturers to fit collision avoidance technologies and improve driver vision.
The tests are being undertaken at six of Euro NCAP’s test facilities, including Applus+ IDIADA in Spain and HORIBA MIRA in the UK. The first truck safe ratings will be announced on 20th November.