Volvo Trucks has launched new side collision avoidance support and emergency brake systems to protect vulnerable road users.
Volvo Trucks’ New Emergency Brake System “Ahead of Legislation”
Volvo Trucks has launched a new safety system called Active Side Collision Avoidance Support to protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
Busy traffic situations pose daily safety risks to vulnerable road users. With the Active Side Collision Avoidance Support, where the keyword is “active”, the company is continuously developing a holistic safety system to achieve the target of zero accidents involving Volvo trucks.
Volvo‘s Active Side Collision Avoidance Support is an evolution of an existing safety system, with the active brake function being added. Using radar sensors to detect approaching cyclists, the system can warn the driver and, if necessary, can also actively brake the truck to avoid a collision with cyclists when turning the truck towards the passenger side.
Trucks are involved in 15 per cent of fatal road accidents and city traffic can be challenging even for the most experienced truck driver, said Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic & Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks.
“At Volvo Trucks, we are constantly working to improve our trucks’ safety performance to protect both the driver and other road users. This safety system, aimed at protecting cyclists in the city environment, represents one of our latest innovations which will take us one step closer to our long-term vision of zero accidents involving Volvo trucks,” she explained.
The Active Side Collision Avoidance Support system will be available for customers to order from November 2024 in the Volvo FH range, FM, and FMX models in all markets globally.
Next-Generation Emergency Brake System
The Active Side Collision Avoidance Support is not the only brand-new safety system that Volvo launched recently. The company has also introduced a next-generation Collision Warning with Emergency Brake.
This system was first introduced in 2012 and has been continuously improved ever since. It uses both camera and radar sensors to monitor the traffic ahead of the truck and, if a risk for a collision is detected, the system is designed to warn the driver and, if necessary, automatically brake to avoid or mitigate the collision.
With the latest improvements, this system can detect, warn, and brake not only for other vehicles but also for pedestrians and cyclists. It has been certified to meet the new tougher European legislation for Advanced Emergency Brake Systems that doesn’t come into force until 2028. In addition, Volvo Trucks’ system even exceeds the coming regulations in terms of the traffic situations it is designed to cover.
“We are happy to see that legal requirements are implemented in line with our own vision of zero accidents,” said Berling. “However, at Volvo, we will not wait for legislation. We will continue to innovate and exceed legal requirements with new functions to support our own ambitious targets.”
This auto brake system is standard equipment in Europe on all FH series, FM, and FMX trucks as of 2025 and is available as an option globally.
