First emergency braking assistance for coaches that brakes for pedestrians and other road users
In 2018 Daimler Buses will introduce what it claims is a world first in the form of active emergency braking for coaches that will activate when an impeding collision with a pedestrian is detected.
It says that Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA 4) will help to avoid accidents involving pedestrians and vulnerable road users by warning the driver visually and audibly of any potential collision, and at the same time automatically triggering partial braking.
That will give the driver every opportunity to prevent a collision by using the horn, making an emergency stop or steering away, and ABA 4 will be offered across the whole range – including the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo.
ABA 4 uses new-generation radar technology that is also used in Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks.
The electronically scanning, multi-mode radar comprises long- and short-range systems.
The former registers multi-track vehicles and stationary objects at a maximum distance of 250m in a direct line on front of the coach, single-track vehicles (such as cycles) at up to 160m and pedestrians at up to 80m.
The short-range radar has a maximum range of up to 70m, and it is able to detect pedestrians and vehicles to the sides ahead of the coach.
ABA 4 is a development of the existing Active Brake Assist 3, introduced in 2014. Daimler Buses says that it will be available free of charge to customers selecting adaptive cruise control, which provides the necessary radar technology. It will be introduced on the Tourismo early next year.
