Volkswagen vans loaded with autonomous emergency braking systems.

Volkswagen ‘Commercial Vehicle’ is the first CV brand to come with autonomous emergency braking systems, now available as standard on its Caddy, Transporter and Crafter models.

Using a radar incorporated in the front end of the van, the system, named Front Assist, perceives critical distances to the vehicle in front and guarantees safe halting. In critical circumstances, it initially cautions the driver with audible and visual signals of any vehicle in front, driving gradually or suddenly braking, while at the same time setting up the van for emergency stop by applying the brake cushions and alarming the brake aide.

If the driver fails to respond to the alarm, an irregular short shock of the brake shows in the second stage the approaching risk of a crash and the brake assistant's responsiveness is additionally increased.

If the driver at that point hits the brakes, full braking power is instantly accessible. In the event that the driver doesn't brake emphatically enough, Front Assist expands the braking weight to the required level, so the vehicle grinds to a halt before hitting the obstacle.

The system incorporates the City Emergency Braking function, which provides help at speeds beneath 18 mph. In the event that a driver neglects to see or respond to an obstruction, the technology consequently applies the brakes and guarantees that the speed of any impact is decreased, or even keeps the vehicle from running into the obstacle.

As indicated by Thatcham Research, the system is 'likely the most noteworthy improvement in vehicle security since the safety belt' and can possibly spare more than 1,000 lives and 120,000 casualties throughout the following 10 years.

In addition, the system has also been proven to reduce third party injury insurance claims by 45%. For van drivers and fleet operators, this implies bringing down expenses and downtime as a result of less crashes occuring. Moreover, vehicles fitted with autonomous braking systems have an average insurance premium decrease of 10% compared with those without.

75% of impacts happen in 'city situations' (at under 25 mph) and a recent report by Euro NCAP and Australasian NCAP demonstrated autonomous braking results in a 38% diminishment in genuine backside crashes.