Scania showed its wide range of active and passive safety systems at the VTA Drive Day in an eye-catching and innovative way; the Scania Safety Vest.
Scania has long been a leader in the delivery of active and passive safety systems for the benefit of drivers and operators in Australia.
To highlight the Scania safety story, the company presented a G 480 prime mover in a unique and eye-catching Day-Glo hi-viz Safety Vest at the VTA Drive Day, complete with an integrated front under-run protected bumper that uses a highly visible and impressive red and silver design incorporating reflective stripes, similar to that used by a major Scania customer in Europe.
“We have dressed a static display prime mover in an XXXXL-sized graphic Safety Vest as a bold statement of Scania’s commitment to driver safety,” says Ron Szulc, Scania Brand and Communications Manager.
“Just as the hi-viz safety vest worn by many drivers on a daily basis helps to signify their presence and provide a degree of safety, in what can be for many, potentially hazardous working environments, so the Scania prime mover, with its many safety features acts as a safety vest for the driver on the road.
“Scania has a strong and long-standing focus on providing a safe and comfortable workplace for drivers,” he says.
“This starts with an all-steel safety cab that exceeds the tough Swedish impact test standards that are themselves more stringent than the ECE R29 Cab Strength regulations. It includes class-leading driver visibility, easy cab access on stepladder-like steps, a highly adjustable driver’s seat, comfortable and wide bunk and an effective air conditioning system. We also have excellent sound insulation in the cab, which also helps to reduce fatigue on a long day’s drive.
“Scania fits a driver’s airbag to the collapsible steering column of each truck sold in Australia. Seat belt pretensioners are standard, along with Traction Control, Electronic Brake System, which incorporates an Anti-lock Brake System. We also provide four hours of vehicle optimisation instruction with every new delivery, via our Scania Peak Efficiency Programme. This bolsters driver and road safety, as well as ensuring the vehicle is driven in the most fuel efficient manner, reducing wear and tear, and thus benefiting the operator’s profitability,” Ron says.
Scania also offers the ability for customers to specify additional modern electronic driver safety features such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning, while Electronic Stability Control is available on 6×4 configuration vehicles as well as 6x2s and 4x2s. Scania has also just begun delivering vehicles in Australia fitted as standard with a new H7 super bright halogen headlamp that offers a wide dipped beam.
A new Daytime Running Lamp System has also been deployed in these clusters. Scania customers may also option Xenon headlamps as found on many European luxury cars. For 20 years, Scania has been offering the market the Scania Retarder, an auxiliary hydro-mechanical braking system that puts up to 3500 Nm of braking torque in the driver’s hands, leaving the service brakes of the vehicle combination cool and fresh for deployment only in an emergency.
In addition, features such as Downhill Speed Control ensure that the vehicle can remain safely in the driver’s control and within the legal speed limits even when negotiating steep declines on the highway, improving trip times.