Tur­ning assi­stant for trucks

Over 5,000 cyclists and pedestrians are injured every year in Germany in collisions with trucks. In 2012, a total of 131 pedestrians and cyclists died in these accidents, and 1,143 were seriously injured. These accidents involving trucks often happen in built-up areas.

The UDV therefore conducted a research project to investigate, among other things, the extent to which a turning assistant for trucks could have a positive effect on the statistics for truck accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. In order to analyze the cases, a generic system was assumed that monitors the areas in front of and to the right of the truck and warns the truck driver if there is a pedestrian or cyclist in the critical zone when the vehicle is pulling away or during turning. It was assumed that the driver would make the ideal response to the warning. It was found that around 43% of all truck accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians could be avoided if this generic turning assistant were used, and that around 31% of the cyclists and pedestrians killed in collisions with trucks would not be killed. In view of these results, the UDV is in favor of the introduction of intelligent turning assistants for trucks as soon as possible.