ETSC has its headquarters in Brussels and its operations include the provision of expertise and support on traffic safety-related issues to the EU Commission and European Parliament, as well as to its member countries. In other words, it is an important organisation which places traffic safety high on its agenda.
One of the solutions Volvo presented showed how a truck can avoid collisions with pedestrians and cyclists by scanning the traffic in a 360 perspective; if it detects obstacles, for instance when turning a corner, the truck automatically applies the brakes. The technology is still under development but there is a good chance that this system will make it into regular operation in the future.
The conference participants also saw first-hand that Volvo has several different solutions designed to improve traffic safety. During a trip by bus, Volvo’s Forward Collision Warning System and Advanced Emergency Braking System were both demonstrated. These are systems that first alert the driver to an obstacle ahead of the bus, and then automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not respond to the warning.
“Improving traffic safety is about many different things, from use of safety belts to integrating various technical solutions, it was fascinating for us to see several of these technologies in action” said Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC.