Abstract
This presentation will deal with the development of Driver Assistance Systems in Road Vehicles, and will provide an outlook for future potential, with some emphasis on Commercial Vehicles. An analysis of basic data on accidents in Europe will be presented, highlighting the need for Driver Assistance Systems, together with current and future requirements and status of the 2001 European Union Traffic Safety White Paper.
The evolution of Driver Assistance Systems will be shown, with its early stages in the late 80´s of last Century. Those initial developments form the platform of today´s systems and it is important to understand the rational for some of those developments like Electronically Networked Vehicle to Road Systems or the basic Electronic Braking System. Integration of Retarders, Coupling Force Control, Tractor/Trailer Compatibility or Braking Assistant Functions will be touched on, which have served as important safety improvements for Commercial Vehicles. Dynamic Vehicle Stability Control has been a further vital safety feature, already widely in use in modern vehicles.