This shift marks a move away from the Bendix Fusion system previously used in Mack’s Class 8 lineup. Mack Protect was built in-house to meet the unique needs of Mack drivers and offers new layers of protection — both in terms of crash mitigation and helping prevent incidents before they happen.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all setup, Mack Protect comes in three versions so fleets and drivers can choose what fits best for their needs:

• Mack Protect (Standard) includes core forward-facing tools: adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, forward collision alerts, traffic stop-and-go support, frontal airbags, forward pedestrian detection, and road sign recognition.
• Mack Protect Pro adds more side protection, including side curtain airbags, lane change alerts, blind spot monitoring on both sides, and pedestrian detection along the sides of the truck.
• Mack Protect Premier takes it a step further with active steering and lane-keeping assist layered on top of the Pro package.

On top of all this, Mack says the system brings in some brand-new technologies never before offered on their trucks. That includes:

• Driver Awareness Support with a heads-up display
• Radar systems for both the driver and passenger sides
• Automatic warnings for forward and side pedestrian detection
• Lane-keeping assistance through active steering

Scott Sokach, senior safety product manager at Mack Trucks, explained that the new system was built with everyday driving challenges in mind.

“The driver awareness features we’ve developed respond directly to the challenges professional drivers face every day,” Sokach said. “Our system is designed not just to respond to emergencies, but to help prevent them from occurring in the first place by extending the driver’s awareness of their surroundings.”

With safety demands evolving quickly in the trucking world — especially on long highway hauls — Mack is clearly putting a stronger focus on helping drivers feel more in control behind the wheel. And with the new Pioneer leading the way, the company seems committed to keeping both drivers and those around them safer mile after mile.

Source: Commercial Carrier Journal

The post Mack’s New Safety Tech Aims to Support Drivers Before Trouble Starts appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has made decisive changes to its consumer-focused 5-Star Safety Ratings program, emphasizing a future with fewer roadway fatalities. By integrating cutting-edge driver assistance technologies and launching a pedestrian protection initiative, the program sets the stage for continual updates over the next decade.

A Strategic Push Towards Zero Fatalities

“This action today is another important step toward addressing the crisis on our roads and achieving the Department’s ambitious, long-term goal of zero road fatalities,” remarked U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Like our move earlier this year to make automatic emergency braking standard on new passenger cars and light trucks, these changes to the 5-Star Safety Ratings will speed up adoption of technologies that reduce the frequency and severity of crashes while helping consumers make informed decisions about buying a new car.”

Key Components of the Updated Safety Program

The revamped New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) now highlights several groundbreaking safety technologies aimed at protecting both vehicle occupants and pedestrians:

• New Driver Assistance Features: These include pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and advanced blind spot detection and intervention.

• Revised Testing Protocols: Enhanced evaluation criteria for existing technologies like automatic emergency braking ensure better performance tracking.

• Pedestrian Protection Initiative: Introduced to assess how well a vehicle’s design can lessen injuries and save lives in pedestrian collisions.

• Strategic Roadmaps: Plans for continuous improvement in vehicle safety, focusing on crash avoidance and protection for cyclists and motorcyclists.

Aligning with the Department’s Safety Vision

“Our goal with NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings program has always been to help consumers choose safer vehicles and to encourage manufacturers to improve vehicle safety,” stated Adam Raviv, NHTSA’s Chief Counsel. “With these NCAP updates, we’re ensuring consumers have more useful and relevant information on the latest safety technologies and that the program keeps up with the pace of technological change and innovation.”

The updated NCAP is a strategic element of the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, aligning with ongoing efforts to drastically cut down on serious injuries and deaths on our highways.

Source: The Trucker

The post Redefining Road Safety: Major Enhancements to NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings Program appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

NHTSA recently announced a new study focused on evaluating drivers’ responses to crash avoidance tools. According to the notice, “The objective of this driving research is to examine driver behavior in using crash avoidance warning systems and assess effects of human-machine interface characteristics on drivers’ behavior and driver response in crash-imminent scenarios.” This study will gather data from drivers on test tracks, public roads, or through simulations.

Approximately 200 licensed drivers, including some with commercial licenses, from Columbus, Ohio will participate in the study. Participants must be between 25 and 65 years old. Passenger vehicle drivers need a valid U.S. driver’s license and must drive at least 11,000 miles per year in light vehicles. Similarly, commercial truck drivers are required to hold a CDL and log the same mileage annually.

Crash avoidance systems work by providing alerts to drivers about potential hazards. The NHTSA describes, “These systems communicate the occurrence of such conditions to drivers via different sensory modalities, such as visual or auditory signals or vibration of the seat or steering wheel.”

The research aims to assess the effectiveness of these technologies. Test vehicles will be fitted with equipment to monitor driver eye movements, control inputs, vehicle position, speed, and turn-signal usage. The findings will be used to prepare a public report and possibly influence future NHTSA safety research and policymaking.

Some truck drivers criticize crash avoidance technology, citing frequent false alarms. Detractors of automatic emergency braking systems argue that they can misinterpret objects like guardrails or overpasses as collision threats.

Earlier this year, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh informed Congress about the potential discrepancies in how these technologies perform in trucks compared to cars. “Trucks are completely different than cars,” Pugh stated. “And just because a technology works well on a car doesn’t mean it’s going to work well on a truck. Every load and every type of truck is different as far as weight and how the product moves. You take a tanker, there’s liquid in there moving around. So, the way you have to stop (a tanker) is completely different than how you’d have to stop a load of paper towels in a van trailer.”

Source: Land Line

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