REAL WORLD TRUCKING SAFETY

From the wheel came the cart and from the cart came the truck… fast forwarding a few thousand years that is.

There have been few inventions in mankind’s history as formative and significant as the automobile and in the early days there was no doubt they once were heavy, unwieldly, largely uncomfortable and dangerous to all involved in their operation.

Thankfully, we’re now at the stage where driver, passenger and road user safety is paramount. We take a look at some of the important truck safety features we enjoy today.

EARLY YEARS

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and the automotive industry has always been hot footed when it comes to leading the way.

Windscreen wipers and rear-view mirrors came first, with the very first car crash tests carried out in 1937.

The 1950s were when important growth happened with the arrival of air bags, the three-point seat belt and the concept of crumple zones. With each innovation, roads became safer and long journeys less deadly.

While every feature available to the passenger car market cannot be easily integrated into the cab of a truck, safety is without a doubt just as important—or even more so given the potential consequences of an incident—for every truck on the roads.

ADAS & SIMILAR TECH

It is an unfortunate truth that the vast majority of road accidents stem from human error, and as such, automated technology has been a recent critical addition to truck safety to assist in keeping drivers and road users safe.

For Isuzu trucks an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a suite of operating systems designed to aid drivers with mindful operation. ADAS uses sensors and cameras to detect nearby obstacles and road conditions, and responds accordingly, alerting the driver of potential hazards.

Common features of Isuzu's ADAS and similar automated systems include but aren’t limited to:

• Advanced Emergency Braking system (AEB) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Lane Departure Warning system (LDW)
• Traffic Movement Warning (TMW)
• Distance Warning System (DWS)
• Auto Lighting System (ALS)

THE BIG ONE: AEB

AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) is a system designed to continuously monitor the road with the ability to autonomously apply the brakes if sensors detect an obstacle or object on the road that the driver hasn’t responded to—giving drivers a second set of eyes so to speak.

AEB was first introduced to trucks in 2009 and should be an expected addition in any new model truck regardless of size or weight. Indeed, for heavy trucks, the Australian government has mandated that AEB as well as ESC be fitted as standard in all new vehicles manufactured after 1 November 2023.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) was introduced to the world in 1995 and touted as the second most important safety advancement in the automotive industry, following seat belts.

Still a safety mainstay, ESC supports drivers by detecting and moderating acceleration and braking, and maintaining steering control, helping to prevent what can be tragic incidents such as a roll-overs.

Whether a vehicle is braking, accelerating, or coasting, ESC can detect understeer from front-end slippage, oversteer from rear-end slippage, and hydroplaning. It performs effectively in all driving conditions such as dry, wet, even ice, and is operational at any speed within reason.

SMALL THINGS SAVE LIVES

With the trucking industry and movement of goods expected to see massive growth in the coming years, it is inevitable that improvements in safety will also be coming thick and fast.

It’s important to be up to date on what’s available out there not just for your own safety but the safety of your staff and everyone on the road.

Whether it’s a small thing like a safety step, better lighting or blind-spot mirrors or a big thing like ADAS, Isuzu’s aim is to make the roads as safe as possible for all who share them.

For more information on the safety systems mentioned here, head over to isuzu.com.au or drop in to have a chat with the staff at one of our nation-wide Isuzu Trucks dealerships.

Want to see more ways technology has been implemented in trucking, check out this blog on truck cab enhancements.