During the 2016 American Trucking Association (ATA) Conference in Las Vegas, Volvo announced its newest safety technology: the Volvo Active Driver Assist (VADA) system.
VADA is the natural evolution of Volvo’s earlier technology, Volvo Enhanced Stability Technology (VEST). Launched in 1990, VEST offers improved emergency braking efficiency that greatly reduces the chance of rollovers and loss of control. It now even comes standard with all Volvo trucks. After the success of VEST, it’s no surprise that the trucking industry is gearing up with excitement about VADA.
If you’re interested in the trucking and transportation industry, check out Volvo’s new VADA collision mitigation system and the benefits it could bring to truck fleets around the globe.
An Introduction to Volvo’s Active Driver Assist for Students in Dispatch School
VADA technology is a collision mitigation system that uses a camera and radar to keep drivers safe while on the road. The radar’s detection range is 22 degrees wide and reaches 500 feet. The camera has a wider angle than the radar to offer additional safety improvements like greater lane size and positioning detection accuracy. Together, the radar and camera provide added safety in even the worst weather conditions, from heavy fog to dark rainy nights. VADA’s main safety features are emergency braking, driver alert systems, and lane departure warnings.
As you may learn during your dispatch course, safety precautions are of utmost importance in the trucking industry. Because a driver needs to focus on so many different elements at once—from other vehicles on the road to maintaining a safe speed—any new technology that assists with safety concerns can make a big difference.
VADA fully integrates into a truck’s pre-existing Driver Information Display, or the screen on the truck’s dashboard. As a result, no additional displays are needed within the cab. This reduces distraction and improves safety by minimizing the seconds the driver’s eyes are off the road.
Students in Dispatch School, Check Out How the Collision Mitigation System Works
VADA is an active system, which means it’s always running and can physically intervene at any point. There are several exceptions to this. For example, under speeds of about 24 kilometres per hour, VADA is disabled. Also, the driver can manually disable the lane departure warnings for 15 minutes while in construction zones, because they may have to forgo the lanes on the road.
VADA works by using its camera or radar to detect potential hazards in front of the truck. It will first alert the driver, and if the driver does not take the action within 3.5 seconds, the system will intervene and safely slow down or stop the vehicle. VADA also has advanced cruise control capabilities. If the vehicle in front of the truck slows down while cruise control is engaged, VADA will alert the driver and if necessary alter the speed of the vehicle to match the new cruising speed. This could help reduce accidents on the road, potentially helping professionals with dispatch training keep their fleets running safely and on time.
Graduates of Dispatch School May See These Benefits During Their Careers
Adding these safety features to truck fleets is expected to greatly reduce accidents and rollovers. When McKenzie Tank Lines adopted Volvo’s previous safety technology, VEST, it noticed a big difference in safety statistics. From 2003 to 2007, the company had 47 read-end collisions and 11 rollovers. However, since adopting VEST in 2011, it has only had one rollover and two rear-end incidents. With such promising statistics and even better technology to boot, many professionals think VADA could become an important part of future fleets.
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