Euro NCAP, the reference organization for automobile safety in Europe, recently expanded its scope to heavy commercial vehicles by launching the Truck Safe program. This new program evaluates truck safety based on a new approach, aimed at analyzing vehicle behavior throughout the accident cycle.
The first results made it possible to classify different truck models according to their safety, with encouraging results for certain manufacturers.
It’s official, 60-ton mega-trucks will soon be on our roads!
Test results: stars for each manufacturer
For this first evaluation, several trucks have been tested and some have already obtained the maximum score of five stars. :
- Volvo FH Aero and Volvo FM: 5 stars
- Renault Trucks T: 4 stars
- Scania R Series and G Series: 4 stars for the G Series, 3 stars for the R Series
- DAF XF, MAN TGX and Mercedes-Benz Actros: 3 stars each
Trucks from Volvo Trucks, independent of the Volvo Cars automotive division, stood out with the maximum five-star rating, with emphasis on excellent visibility and state-of-the-art driver assistance systems. Renault Trucks models, also independent of the automotive sector, as well as Scania, obtained four stars, while DAF, MAN and Mercedes-Benz bring up the rear with three stars. There were no “disasters” like during the change of protocol for cars, notably with the Renault Zoé which did not receive any stars.
Why test truck safety?
Trucks, although they represent less than 3% of the European rolling stock, are responsible for 15% of fatal accidents on the roads. In these accidents, 89% of victims are drivers or passengers of cars, utility vehicles or vulnerable users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
Despite these figures, trucks play a crucial economic role, ensuring the distribution of 95% of goods in Europe. Guaranteeing their safety is therefore a priority, and we even wonder why this has not been done before, especially when we observe the pressure put on the automotive sector on this subject.
The Truck Safe protocol: a three-step methodology
We don’t test cars like we test trucks, which is why Euro NCAP’s Truck Safe program is different from what we know when it comes to automobiles. This is structured around three phases:
- Before the accident: with a focus on safe driving and driver assistance systems.
- Just before the accident: evaluation of active safety systems, such as automatic emergency braking.
- After the accident: intervention of safety systems to minimize the consequences.
For trucks particularly well suited to urban environments, Euro NCAP has introduced an additional label, CitySafe. This label is awarded to vehicles equipped with technologies to prevent accidents in urban environments, such as emergency braking in the presence of invisible cyclists.
The most efficient models
As stated above, before drawing the first conclusions among manufacturers, some are already coming out with honors. Among the vehicles tested, the Volvo FH Aero stands out thanks to excellent visibility and particularly efficient driver assistance systems, which allows it to obtain five stars and the CitySafe label. Its counterpart, the Volvo FM, is distinguished by a lower cabin, further improving visibility. A good point in town, especially in urban areas where, sometimes, cyclists can be present in front of trucks in the bike lock.
The Renault Trucks T, with four stars, is particularly good on motorways thanks to its driver assistance systems. However, its more limited direct visibility makes it less suitable for urban environments, which is why it doesn’t get five stars, or even the CitySafe label.
The Scania G Series, with a low cabin, also gets four stars thanks to good visibility and the presence of driving assistance systems such as AEB VRU (blind spot warning system), even if Euro NCAP specifies that some of these aids should not be optional, but offered as standard.
Passive security closely scrutinized by 2030
At the moment, truck safety tests focus on active safety: visibility and accident prevention. However, Euro NCAP plans to integrate passive safety, with crash protection tests, into the assessment protocol for heavy commercial vehicles from 2030.
These protocols will be updated every three years, taking into account technological developments and new security requirements.
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