That’s a key finding from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), which commissioned a study to analyse road accident statistics ahead of the European Commission’s proposal for new vehicle safety measures, due to be released later this week.
In the past, says ACEA, passive safety systems such as pre-tensioned seatbelts and airbags have contributed significantly to road safety. Active safety measures – including autonomous emergency braking or lane departure warning systems – have the potential to eliminate emergency situations or, at worst, actively help the driver to manage them without an accident occurring.
Regarding vision-related accidents with trucks for instance, the analysis shows that active safety measures are 50% more effective in reducing fatalities than redesigning trucks with low-entry cabs.
ACEA also points out that low-entry cabs impact the load capacity of trucks, as they require major changes to the layout of a vehicle. The less load space a truck has, the more vehicles are needed to transport the same amount of freight, which in turn would lead to an increase in CO2 emissions.
The analysis was carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory and Centre Européen d’Etudes de Sécurité et d’Analyse des Risques.
“ACEA welcomes the upcoming revision of the General Safety Regulation,” says Erik Jonnaert, ACEA secretary general.
“We believe that it should concentrate on safety measures that deliver the most tangible results, while also being the most cost effective.”