Euro NCAP is launching a new truck safety rating scheme.
The safety organisation – which has traditionally provided consumers with information on car safety – will expand to provide detailed information about the safety of heavy trucks via an innovative Truck Safe City and Highway rating scheme.
Euro NCAP said the scheme will enable all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess the safety level of equipment in their heavy truck fleets.
“In Sweden, we see head-on crashes, and especially with heavy trucks, as one of the biggest challenges in developing a safe road transport system,” said Rikard Fredriksson, Vehicle Safety Advisor of the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and Member Euro NCAP Board.
“Based on the successful experience of Euro NCAP passenger car testing saving lives, we expect Euro NCAP’s new rating scheme for heavy trucks to be a strong tool in addressing this major issue on our country’s roads.”
The new rating scheme will have a dual rating for city and highway environments. All vehicles will be rated against both sets of criteria.
Most of the freight within Europe is transported by road and the International Transport Forum (ITF) has estimated that global freight demand will treble between 2015 and 2050.
Currently heavy trucks represent almost 1.5 per cent of vehicles on Europe’s roads and are involved in almost 15 per cent of all EU road fatalities.
