Safety on and off the road is one of our top priorities at Werner. We want to know that we are taking every possible step to make sure our drivers, and others on the road, get home safely. Investing in top-of-the-line technology is one of the ways that we maximize the resources at our disposal.
As of 2020, our entire fleet has been outfitted with advanced collision mitigation systems, a type of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), designed to help prevent or lessen the severity of accidents. That same year we saw an 18% decrease in accidents per million miles and 15% reduction in work injury rates.
Our collision mitigation systems use cameras and radar technology to monitor both driver behavior and the truck’s surrounding environment for potential risks. They are equipped with a comprehensive set of safety features to prevent, warn and intervene in the event of a potential road incident.
Prevent:
Preventative features help drivers maintain safer driving practices by assisting with driving operations. Adaptive Cruise Control measures the distance between a truck and the vehicle in front of it to calculate the speed needed to maintain a safe distance. This speed is then automatically set in the vehicle’s cruise control. In addition to its safety benefits, this feature also helps boost fuel efficiency when in use.
Warn:
Warning systems are the first line of defense in collision prevention, alerting drivers of potential danger while providing them with the time to react. Lane Departure Warning is one such system which alerts drivers with audio and visual cues when the vehicle crosses a lane divider without using a turn signal, whether the action is taken intentionally or due to drift.
Intervene:
Intervention features are the final measures a collision mitigation system can take in the event of an accident, actively taking control of vehicle systems. Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) uses system sensors to detect slow or stationary objects in front of a vehicle. It then calculates time, distance and speed to immediately dispense the appropriate action: driver warning, partial braking or full braking. A study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that trucks equipped with AEB systems experienced a 42% reduction in rear-end crashes.
One Step Further – Accountability:
Our collision mitigation systems are also equipped with forward-facing video capture. When an event triggers the AEB system, video automatically begins recording throughout the triggered event to capture an accurate picture of events. This footage is automatically uploaded to the cloud so that authorized associates can access it and review to provide further coaching to our drivers if needed. The video also can provide evidence for determining liability if needed.
These are just a few of the different safety technologies that our vehicles are equipped with. As technology continues to advance and offer enhanced safety options, we at Werner will continue to be first in line testing it out and updating our fleet. These continued advancements to our fleet are just one of the ways we’re driving innovation in transportation.
