“Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a superior vehicle safety system that detects the stability and sideways acceleration of a heavy vehicle, and automatically activates to slow the vehicle down if it senses risk of a rollover. The Australian Government must mandate the use of ESC in new models of trucks and trailers as it is the key to reducing crashes and improving safety in the trucking industry.”
This was the key message delivered by the Australian Trucking Association’s Senior Adviser of Engineering, Chris Loose, at the Woodflow Optimisation 2016 Conference on Timber Logistics/Harvesting held in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this week.
The Monash University Accident Research Centre has released data showing that mandated use of ESC in heavy vehicles could reduce fatal heavy vehicle crashes by four per cent, and serious injury crashes involving heavy vehicles by seven per cent.
“ESC is the foundation technology required before we can progress to Automated Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) – so this is a fundamental step Australia must take. AEBS uses additional sensors to monitor the proximity of other vehicles, and automatically apply emergency braking if a collision is imminent,” Mr Loose said.
The Monash University Accident Research Centre estimates AEBS could prevent up to 25 per cent of fatal heavy vehicle crashes, and up to 17 per cent of serious injury crashes. The net result in real terms is that AEBS would save the lives of 67 Australian road users annually if fitted across the whole fleet.
ESC systems include both roll control and yaw control systems, and can correct potential oversteer, understeer and roll-over situations. Roll control systems sense the lateral (sideways) acceleration of a vehicle, and reduce the risk of rollover through reducing engine torque and briefly applying selected brakes. Yaw control allows the driver to point the vehicle in the desired direction, with the brakes operating to assist the driver.
“ESC is an extremely capable stability control system, but can only be fitted to powered units such as prime movers. Instead of relying on driver response, technology enables the system to be predictive instead of reactive; activating preventive action to an impending incident. Often, the driver may not be aware that the system has activated,” Mr Loose explained.
Roll Stability Control (RSC) can be fitted to trailers and also provides significant safety benefits. RSC provides roll control in a similar manner to ESC, but does not include yaw control. While stability control systems will not prevent all rollover crashes, both ESC and RSC allow a driver to maintain control of their vehicle with the aim of avoiding or reducing the impact and likelihood of a rollover.
In 2014, VicForests required operators of B-doubles in specific logging coops to have their trailers fitted with rollover stability systems within 12 months and update their vehicles to include electronic braking systems within five years.
In the years 2006 to 2009 (averaged), there were 40 rollovers reported per year. Following stability system technology fitted to B-doubles, the rollover incidences were reported as nil. The success of the safety system has turned former opponents into advocates and driven widespread adoption of the technology across the industry (http://www.nrspp.org.au/News/Details/157).
“Research-backed data and proof-of-evidence case studies have demonstrated ESC will save lives, and is a real, practical measure to enhance safety of the trucking industry and all Australians. While the industry’s safety record has increased substantially, even one accident is too many and mandating ESC is a vital factor if we are to save even more lives in the future,” concluded Mr Loose.
The ATA’s statement
The safety benefits speak for themselves and are the reasons the Australian Trucking Association is urging the Australian Government to mandate stability control technologies for new model trucks and trailers from 2019, and for new trucks and trailers from 2020.
The ATA has argued there would need to be appropriate exemptions for trucks operating in rural and regional areas, where the demanding operating conditions can cause maintenance issues for the technology, and for particular combinations where the effectiveness of ESC is limited.
It has been noted that while ESC is a well-established technology, issues such as how to handle voltage incompatibilities between trucks and trailers need to be finalised before it can become mandated for all new trucks. To improve the understanding of the compatibility of different braking technologies within combinations, the ATA is actively working with other industry players on the development of a guide to braking and stability performance for heavy vehicle combinations.
The ATA released the second edition of its Technical Advisory Procedure (TAP) on truck Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Roll Stability Control (RSC) technology in May 2016. This document was developed and updated by the ATA’s Industry Technical Council.
Media contact: Donna Jeremiah/Anne Nguyen 02 6253 6900