New assessments that evaluate van safety have revealed an “alarming” deficiency of collision avoidance technologies remaining fitted to industrial cars.
The Professional Van Safety Score from Euro NCAP and Thatcham Exploration examines both equally the fitment and functionality of highly developed driver guidance units, these as autonomous unexpected emergency braking (AEB), pace limiting and lane-keep help. To start the new rating, 19 products of van – earning up 98 per cent of the United kingdom current market in 2019 – have been place by the assessments.
Of these, only 3 – the Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit and Mercedes Vito – were being awarded a ‘Gold’ rating. Five other products realized ‘Silver’, though a further more six obtained ‘Bronze’.
Worryingly, 5 products did not even manage ‘Bronze’ a rating, indicating Euro NCAP now classes them as ‘Not recommended’. The Fiat Talento was the worst-undertaking van in the exam, with a score of just 5 per cent. Second-worst the Vauxhall Movano, which only attained a score of 8 per cent. Also scoring in the ‘Not recommended’ zone were being the Renault Trafic (eleven per cent), Nissan NV400 (13 per cent) and Renault Learn (17 per cent).
Only twelve.eight per cent of new vans featured AEB in 2019, when compared with 62 per cent of new automobiles. This is in spite of AEB remaining shown to lower rear conclusion collisions by as a great deal as 38 per cent. Vans are also concerned in extra fatal incidents per mile travelled than any other style of vehicle on United kingdom roads.
European legislation will need all new vans to be fitted with selected highly developed driver guidance units by 2024, and Euro NCAP urged the Government to provide on its guarantee of signing the United kingdom up to these procedures, and implored van makers to just take action in advance of then.
The greater part of industrial vehicle revenue are company-to-company, indicating vans are frequently focused at fleet purchasers who are occasionally happy to scrimp on optional driver aids in order to keep fees down.
Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Exploration, claimed: “There is a definite deficiency of parity concerning the concentrations of collision avoidance technologies on vans when compared to automobiles. Fashionable automobiles have a lot as normal, but vans have barely any. Brand names are earning a very clear determination not to in good shape this vital technologies as normal and van operators are not even purchasing it as a expense possibility.”
Avery accused makers of “withholding critical safety technologies from their vans”. He extra: “It’s a preposterous circumstance for the reason that the units presently exist and could be fitted if they wished them to be.”
Renault issued a assertion, stating: “Safety is of the utmost importance in the advancement of all our cars. We have designed vans that offer you passive and lively safety attributes that satisfy the necessities of our experienced customers and are compliant with all current market laws the place they are sold.
“In the United kingdom, a selection of ADAS (Advanced Driver Support Programs) attributes are offered as an possibility. We continuously check our line-up to strengthen our solutions as very well as the gratification and safety of our customers.”
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