PRECO Electronics and Scania sign long-term agreement to offer side blind spot monitoring solutions to Scania dealers worldwide
Focusing on the growing awareness for the need of vulnerable road user (VRU) protections and on-road driver safety, Scania and PRECO Electronics® have come together to offer PRECO’s PreView Side Defender®II through Scania’s after-market dealer channels worldwide. Meeting global demands for increased premium safety solutions, Side Defender®II brings the most advanced side object detection solution available to new and after-market on-road heavy-duty fleet vehicles.
Commercial on-road safety issues have gained international recognition as bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians continue to be involved in collisions with turning trucks and buses. With many incidents occurring on city streets across the globe, Scania sought the best in class solution to meet customer demands as Germany and the European Union lead the way with subsidies and regulations.
“Scania was looking for a solution that not only met the functionalities prescribed by the German government, but also one that does so in a way that would provide proven reliable warnings with minimal false warnings,” Peter Hellberg, Scania’s Product Manager said. “Our customers seek a solution that will help improve the safety of vulnerable road users sharing the roads with their fleets. After comparison testing and functionality approval, we are proud to offer PRECO’s Side Defender®II system.”
Using the system’s two intelligent operating modes, PreView Side Defender®II provides on-road lane change assist and low-speed VRU warning capabilities in crowded urban environments. As part of the Side Defender®II system, the new PreView® v2 in-cab display equips operators with more intuitive audible and visual alerts while offering installers more flexibility and time savings.
“Working with PRECO to bring Side Defender®II to Scania’s offerings shows their dedication to improving safety, especially that of vulnerable road users sharing the roads with Scania trucks,” Tom Loutzenheiser, PRECO’s Vice President of Business Development said.
Offered by Scania as the Blind Spot Assist II, the system actively monitors the vehicle’s side blind spot, detecting moving VRUs while ignoring stationary objects, resulting in safer truck and bus operations in crowded low-speed urban settings. With its German National Type Approval (ABE) from the KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), PreView Side Defender®II qualifies for the Abbiegeassistenzsysteme subsidies available in Germany. At speeds above 30 km/h the system provides blind spot lane change assist to avoid collisions with other vehicles and VRUs.
“Scania continues to put our customers as our first priority,” Hellberg said. “Adding Side Defender®II to our offerings is another example of us doing just that – providing the best in class safety and awareness tools available to our customers.”