Here is the Euro NCAP list of the least dangerous trucks on the road

For its very first comparative study devoted to industrial vehicles, the Euro NCAP association founded in 1996 chose to focus on the category of trucks perceived as the most dangerous by motorists, namely 44-ton semi-trailer tractors. . These behemoths periodically hit the headlines when they collide with cars in the fog or smash through the walls of houses recklessly located on bends. As surprising as it may seem, before Euro NCAP, no organization had taken the trouble to evaluate and compare the safety of these machines.

Their manufacturers must certainly respect the standards set by the European Union, but everyone is free to go beyond, by adding functionalities that the legislator has not (yet) made obligatory. The result is disparities that are reflected in the gulf that separates the best and worst rated trucks by Euro NCAP.

Of the nine heavy goods vehicles selected for this first confrontation, only two received the maximum rating of five stars (each time, it was a Volvo Trucks), while one was only entitled to one star ( IVECO). Furthermore, four of these nine vehicles (DAF, Scania, Volvo twice) have obtained the additional CitySafe certification, which attests to the consideration of the dangers specific to driving in the city and the difficulties of coexistence between trucks and users. so-called vulnerable (pedestrians and cyclists).

Rather than simply pointing out the good and bad students, Matthew Avery, in charge of development at Euro NCAP, prefers to highlight the case of Renault Trucks, credited with four stars. His trucks positioned between the most expensive and the least expensive on the market » make excellent use of the security systems available on the market. Unlike the IVECO model tested here, which only receives one star due to too few driving aids and a ” limited frontal vision ».

Whether they are called Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, IVECO, MAN, Scania, DAF or Mercedes-Benz, the nine long-distance trucks selected by Euro NCAP were subjected to a brand new test protocol defined for the occasion (it will be updated every three years). Under the heading Truck Safe there are three chapters: first, the evaluation of the overall design of the vehicle, to find out if the design of its driving position reduces the driver’s attention and encroaches on his field of vision .

Then comes the evaluation of the systems which actively participate in avoiding the accident, such as lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning, obstacle detection, pedestrians and cyclists. All aid which is not not yet automatically provided », Regrets the organization. Finally, Euro NCAP assesses safety after an accident: effectiveness of the automated emergency call, ease of identification of the type of truck by rescuers, and speed of extraction of occupants.

According to figures from the European Commission, 89% of victims killed following an accident with a truck weighing more than 3.5 tonnes were pedestrians, cyclists or the occupants of a lighter vehicle. Large trucks may only represent 3% of the fleets in use in Europe, but they are responsible for 15% of road deaths. Euro NCAP Secretary General Michiel van Ratingen would therefore like these new comparative tests to help reduce this mortality “ by encouraging manufacturers and equipment manufacturers to market effective anti-collision systems and by improving the driver’s field of vision ».

This first test campaign dedicated to semi-trailers will be followed by another, in April 2025, which will examine the level of safety of long-distance carrier vehicles, these large vans which ensure refueling from city to city. Then in October 2025, Euro NCAP will focus on urban distribution trucks, of an even smaller size. An area where there is still great room for improvement, since low-slung cabins and fully glazed sides, from floor to ceiling, are still the exception. And not the rule.