There are more than 200,000 forward collision warning and mitigation systems from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems on the road, with each generation of the technology more powerful and effective than the last. Wingman Fusion is Bendix’s flagship collision mitigation system, due to its deep integration of both camera and radar sensors.
“Over the past five years, adoption of Bendix collision mitigation systems has more than tripled, and the rate of Fusion adoption is significantly ahead of where earlier systems were at the same point after launch,” said Fred Andersky, director of customer solutions for controls with Bendix, during a panel at the Mid-America Trucking Show. “Last year, for instance, Fusion began its always accelerating growth curve, accounting for approximately one in five Bendix collision mitigation systems installed, with our radar-only technologies comprising the rest. For 2017, we’re looking at Fusion accounting for nearly one in three.”
Andersky stated that while market penetration for stability systems is currently in the 32-35% range, they see it growing to around 65% in the next three to four years.
Some fleets have seen as high as a 90% reduction in rear-end collisions and a corresponding reduction in severity of the remainder. Given that a rear-end collision involving a heavy truck and passenger vehicle occurred on average every 15 minutes in 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts, this is a technology that can make a significant difference in safety on the highways.
“We’re always at work to help truck drivers operate in the safest environment possible, and it’s important to emphasize that active safety technologies are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving—ultimate responsibility for safe vehicle operation remains with the men and women behind the wheel,” Andersky added.