Image reflects VSC turned off at closed test track.
Did you know that most single vehicle truck accidents in Australia are due to rollovers? Well not only is Hino aware of this, but we have implemented safety features to avoid these types of accidents. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) is now a standard feature with the recently released the 500 Series Wide Cab models.
Our Manager of Product Strategy for Hino, Daniel Petrovski, says that there was one objective with standardising VSC, "to build the safest Japanese medium duty truck for the Australian market. Highway on-ramps and off-ramps are one of the most common areas for truck roll-overs in Australia, VSC can detect and minimise the risk of those accidents occurring."
What is VSC?
Simply put, VSC is an electronic active safety system that autonomously helps the driver to stay in control of their vehicle in critical driving situations, almost like Artificial Intelligence safety for trucks. The system monitors wheel rotation speed, steering angle, yaw rate and lateral G-forces to detect sideways slipping, working cooperatively with ABS to control the brake pressure at each wheel.
VSC Saves Lives
"Safety, we believe, isn't just about minimising the impacts of an accident,” said Mr. Petrovski. “At Hino, we believe prevention is better than a cure. As such, by focusing on preventing accidents from occurring, Hino has made what we see as an easy decision to include VSC as standard right across this new Wide Cab model range.”
Recognised by experts across the world as being an active safety technology that saves lives, VSC significantly reduces the risk of understeer, oversteer or roll-over of the vehicle. The Queensland Department of TMR (2011) in conjunction with other external parties conducted research and examined 440 crashes in detail. It was reported that over 60% of these accidents could have either been prevented or the impacts minimised if the vehicles were equipped with VSC. With road crash fatalities in Queensland alone costing an astonishing estimated $2.7 million and every hospitalisation costs an estimated $239,000. According to reports, VSC could not only be the future for safety but to greater economic benefits.
So How Does It All Work?
Operating with the vehicles ABS and traction control, VSC can manage the engine’s power output and even apply the brakes selectively to individual wheels. For example, if a driver enters a corner such as the motorway off ramp, the VSC determines the steering wheel angle, the speed that the vehicle is travelling as well as the lateral G-forces or yaw rate being applied. It is continually calculating whether the vehicle is operating within the safety margin and if the parameters are outside those acceptable, the VSC will autonomously implement the necessary actions to reduce the chances of an accident occurring.
The system would do this by immediately cutting the engine output and start controlling the brake force at each wheel as required, activating them independently to help steer the truck to safety. It switches on at engine start and displays icon on driver instrument panel, which tells the driver it’s waiting to calibrate. The VSC feature can likewise be switched off to assist with traction control, recommended only at low speed on slippery off road surfaces. For instance when the vehicle is in muddy conditions were the wheels need to be spun to clear the tread of the tyres.
The all new Hino 500 Series Wide Cab boasts the most comprehensive active safety package of any Japanese truck in the medium duty truck category with VSC now a standard feature. Other active safety features including reverse camera, ABS, Anti Slip Regulator (ASR), UN ECE R29-rated cab strength, a driver SRS airbag, ADR84/00 Front Underrun Protection System (FUPS), Easy Start, Cruise Control and Fog Lamps.
Statistics source:
The Queensland Department of TMR (2011)