Emergency braking technology can really save lives. Want proof? Well, here’s something that happened in the real world, in faraway Norway. Here, watch it for yourself and see how emergency braking can stop the largest of vehicles in the shortest possible time and distance.
As you can see from this video, a bunch of students alight from a bus, and two of them, unmindful of an approaching trailer truck, just dart across the road. Volvo’s emergency braking kicks in, and brings the massive truck to a stop, just inches away from the child. No drama, no fishtailing, just a sudden stop in the shortest possible distance. Well, emergency braking really works, and it just saved a young one’s life.
How does Volvo’s emergency braking work?
Volvo’s high-end trucks have this safety feature called Emergency Braking Assist. This feature involves a radar and camera working together to sense stationary/slow-moving obstacles ahead. First, these sensors will alert the driver about an imminent collision if she/he doesn’t brake immediately. If the driver takes no action, the system activates the automatic brakes that’s designed to brings the truck to a stop before collision.
But don’t leave it to emergency braking alone…
Now, darting across the road in the way the two kids did is absolutely stupid, and can be suicidal. As car drivers and motorcycle riders, an important check to make while passing a parked bus is to scan the underside of the bus and look for legs. This is to avoid nasty surprises like the one that the truck driver in the video just had.
Scanning the underside of parked buses usually gives you an idea of whether passengers are alighting, and also if they’re about to cross the road, directly into your path. Also, slow down when you see a parked bus. A lower speed really helps, especially if your next moves could potentially involve sudden braking and direction changes.