EAA, together with Transport & Environment (T&E), have presented to the press on 20 March a study on the design of tractor fronts for optimised safety and fuel consumption. The “Safer Trucks” concept brings a valuable contribution to road safety and environment by improving three aspects: passive safety, aerodynamics and safety of vulnerable road users.
EAA Automotive & Transport group has extensively worked with FKA (Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen Aachen) on a design concept for crash boxes (or “Crash Management System”) at the front of trucks’ cabin that would absorb energy in case of a frontal crash with a vehicle. The share of lorries in fatal accidents is disproportionate: trucks represent 3% of the vehicle fleet but are involved in 18% of fatal accidents (EU27 in 2008). The study shows that the severity of car to truck accidents could be significantly reduced if an 80 cm energy absorbing crash box was used at the front of a tractor. A crash could be 15% less intense for cars, therefore reducing the severity of cars to trucks collisions.
Furthermore, designing crash boxes in aluminium can save 50 % of the weight while maintaining the same crash performance.
The following objectives could be met with limited costs for transport manufacturers:
- Between 3.200 and 3.800 accidents involving trucks with less harmful consequences each year (taking as baseline the 7.070 fatalities in 2008 in EU27);
- Including 300 fatalities per year among vulnerable users thanks to reduced blind spots and a deflecting shape of the cabin;
- Reducing CO2 emissions between 3.2.% and 5.3% (for a 40t haul truck);
- Saving €1.500 per year on average for fuel consumption.
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Leaflet - Aluminium for safer trucks |
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The full report can be downloaded here |
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Smarter, Safer, Cleaner: Summary from Transport & Environment |
