As modern roadways become more functional for drivers and Italy continues to improve public transport services, there has been a real focus on increasing road safety in recent years. City buses, inter-city coaches and tourist coaches are widely used by both locals and tourists, and drivers are navigating the growing need for high-end, comprehensive solutions that simply perform. In order to properly address a myriad of issues, the European Union has outlined new regulations 2144/2019, which are mandatory for all buses produced and marketed as of July 6, 2022.
A closer look at EU regulations for road safety regarding buses and similar heavy vehicles
It's no secret that developments in vehicle safety have had a deep impact on reducing severe property damage and personal injury, but there has also been an overall reduction in accident related fatalities. In order to continue this trend and provide safe facilities and road environments, the 2144/2019 Regulation Act has been defined to ensure the protection of vehicle occupants and road users alike.
With a focus on providing new initiatives for general road safety and improving the performance of different vehicle types, approval provisions will ensure that motor vehicle performance levels are properly and consistently assessed under a more harmonized system. For example, Regulation (EC) No. 661/2009 now incorporates a host of stipulations regarding different vehicle safety technologies that can be applied across all vehicle categories. With ADAS technology providing unrivaled road safety protocols, these are now becoming an intrinsic part of such regulatory considerations.
How ADAS performs for buses
The acronym ADAS refers to any and all advanced driver assistance systems that are pre-installed in an array of vehicle models or added on as aftermarket features. The concept behind these driving technologies is to provide drivers with a host of safety features and functions that can improve road use. In its most basic form, ADAS can provide drivers with audio, visual, or haptic notifications using onboard cameras and sensors.
These cover everything from forward collision warnings to lane departure warnings and rear cross traffic alerts, as well as providing assistance for traffic blind spots and similar. More advanced ADAS will have the ability to perform these functions, as well as initiate safety protocols such as providing adaptive cruise control and operating breaking systems to help buses stop when obstacles appear and may pose risks. This can include other vehicles on the road, vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, or anything in between. As an electronic system of software, maintenance and calibration will be imperative to maintaining safe vehicle distances; not only in heavy traffic, but also for general road use.
How is ADAS protecting vehicles and road users of all types?
Buses and coaches, as larger vehicles, will have their own considerations when it comes to best practices and top driving safety practices. Drivers have the unique challenge of navigating European roadways that were often constructed with small vehicles in mind, a lower volume of traffic, and to meet the needs of smaller communities, all while dealing with intrinsic instances such as blind spots and avoiding vulnerable road user collisions from a perspective that typical vehicle owners won't have to keep in mind.
Having access to tailored technology that has the ability to give a wider view of roads and perform automatic warnings in real-time is providing significant benefits when improving reaction times and increasing drivers’ situational awareness. These systems bring an unparalleled level of peace of mind to not only bus and coach operators in Italy, but also to passengers and other road users.
As Italy is promoting a No More Death on European Roads initiative, bus and coach companies and commercial vehicle drivers are being encouraged to look into the launch of the ADAS E.V.A system in order to properly comply with EU regulations. Produced by Safe Industries (now Safe Next) in collaboration with Qualcomm-Thundercomm, Blackberry and others, it will be distributed throughout Europe by CBMCompany, world leader in the distribution of spare parts for buses and sole supplier of Alsa, which manages transport in Malta.
In order to provide nothing short of top level services across the wider vehicle safety landscape, these systems have significant potential and an intrinsic approach to compliance that is otherwise unrivalled in this industry.