Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks

Lots is written about Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks test protocols for #driver #monitoring #systems, but the EU General Safety Regulation #GSR also dictates developments. NCAP is a points-based system leading to a #safety rating from 1 to 5 stars, but GSR is a set of legal requirements to achieve #typeapproval #homologation. A vehicle without type approval cannot be sold in the EU, so compliance is a huge deal. The key document for Advanced Driver Distraction Warning #ADDW systems is 2023/2590. ADDW became a requirement for new vehicle types on 7 July, and is required for all Class M and N vehicles sold in the EU from 7 July 2026. Lots of #OEMs look unaware of what is coming, so let's dive in. Part 1, Sec 2.1. tells us: "An ADDW system shall determine when the driver’s visual attention is not directed towards the driving tasks and alert the driver through the vehicle HMI." Sec 3.2.1. tells us: "The ADDW system shall operate effectively during both day and night," while 3.3.1. tells us: "The presence of the driver’s gaze shall be monitored by the ADDW system in the areas of interest." Day and night operation dictates IR illumination, and in practice 940nm not 850nm IR to remove sunlight interference. An ADDW system must monitor driver eye gaze, not head pose, so vision-based #DMS is required in practice. In #NCAP parlance, #lizard movement must be detected and Part 2, Sec 1.4 "Gaze fixation points" lists the 14 zones where the system must measure gaze. There are only a handful of DMS suppliers that can achieve this accuracy in gaze fidelity to "OEM automotive grade." Tesla DMS doesn't cut it, so Tesla has to chose (or buy) one of the compliant suppliers. Soon. Like NCAP protocols, the ADDW requirements for GSR are not fixed. Point (2) states: "this Regulation focuses on warning drivers in cases of long visual distraction," and then says: "the Commission will ... adopt by July 2027 requirements which will follow the technological progress of ADDW systems. These progress include intermittent distraction [VATS], the assessment of types of driver distraction other than visual (e.g. #cognitivedistraction), driver’s body movement." These features are not a cakewalk, and indicate a requirements roadmap not many DMS providers can meet. This is a warning OEMs need to heed in their DMS procurements, and to be certain their vehicles are ADDW compliant. Buy cheap, buy twice. ADDW and NCAP OSM test protocols both focus on the same issue: Improving safety by understanding human behavior as it applies to crash risk. We will likely see some of the roadmap appear first in the NCAP 2026 #OSM protocols, but the fun begins when DMS requirements harmonize across the EU, NHTSA, and China. Research for the 2025 edition of Semicast's automotive DMS report is underway. Message me for a copy of the outline document and to receive sample pages from the May 2024 report. ADDW document: https://lnkd.in/ekbFZA8r

🏆 One month left to enter What Van? Awards 2025 🏆 The entry period for the What Van? Awards 2025 will close in one month. Entries will close on 4 October. They will then be assessed by our judges, before the prizes are handed out on 4 December at the Hilton London Bankside. Sponsors of the event include award sponsors Driving for Better Business, Fleet Operations (TraXall UK), Rhino Products Ltd, and The AA, category sponsors Aston Barclay Vehicle Remarketing, CPL, and Northgate Vehicle Hire, and safety judge/sponsor Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/edk_GGyM 🔔 Click our follow button to see regular van and fleet industry news and insights, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter 🔔 #WhatVan #WhatVanAwards #awards #vans #lcvs #fleet

New Article: Enhancing Vehicle Safety with In-Cabin Monitoring Systems 🚗 IMS is revolutionizing safety on our roads by continuously monitoring driver and occupant behavior, providing real-time responses to potential dangers. At the forefront of this innovation is Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks, a key player in setting new standards for vehicle safety. Adriano Palao, Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks' Technical Manager of ADAS & AD, will be joining us at InCabin Europe 2024 and delving into this crucial topic with his presentation, "Accelerating the Adoption of In-Cabin Monitoring Systems." We caught up with Adriano who shared valuable insights into the transformative potential of IMS… Read here: https://hubs.ly/Q02MV85w0 #VehicleSafety #InCabinMonitoring #EuroNCAP #IMSTechnology #RoadSafety #Innovation #DMS #OMS #incabin #IMS #innovation #industryexperts #expertinsights #latesttech #technologyadvancements

As summer turns to autumn and the fall, so attention in the #DMS world moves to pending decisions from #safety agencies that will define the future of the #driver and #occupant #monitoring market. NHTSA is set to issue the #FMVSS for #impaired driving before the end of the year, to mitigate #distracted, #drowsy and #drunkdriving in the U.S. But it is Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks that is about to really shake things up, with imminent publication of its 2026 Occupant Status Monitoring #OSM #protocols and how these feed into the 5* safety rating. Let's take a look. Everything changes for the star ratings in 2026. We already know the framework, because that is published. For the 2023 assessment, OSM gave up to 3 points, but OEMs could game the scoring by using woeful DMS and focus on getting points elsewhere to still get a 5* rating. This drove procurement towards low cost DMS which infuriated drivers. But for 2026, DMS and #OMS (along with vehicle assistance) go into a category called "safe driving." OMS scores 30 points, DMS 30, and assistance 40. What is new is the "balance thresholds" needed for a 5* rating. In 2026, the safe driving category needs 60 points to get 5*, but in 2027 it needs 70, and from 2028 it is 80. Sure an #OEM can "borrow" up to 5 points from "crash avoidance," but the focus shifts to scoring for OMS and DMS. This massively uprates the importance of DMS and OMS performance from 2026, which is exactly what I said would happen. Cheap DMS will come with major consequences. Further, an OEM will have to score for both driver and occupant monitoring to secure the coveted 5* rating. Sure, we've seen dual camera systems in BMW, but that is a premium brand. How does a mass-market OEM score points for both driver and occupant monitoring within a tight budget? A single camera located in the rear view mirror looks like a sensible option, which I've been talking about for five years. We can see the requirements for occupant monitoring. The 2026 test protocols for DMS are likely to be published soon, and will be worth up to 25 points. Cheap #visual #distraction algorithms look set to be replaced with complex requirements for both visual and #cognitivedistraction. Euro NCAP is an organization focused on saving lives, so out goes "box-ticking" and in comes an emphasis in the cabin towards understanding human behavior as it applies to crash risk. #Humanfactors expertise is about to become critical, which I've also been talking about for five years. OEMs have mostly been focused on compliance for #GSR, which lulled them into the cheap and infuriating DMS path, without paying attention to what was happening with NCAP. The 2026 protocols won't impact GSR at all, but the consequence for OEMs looks set to be a lot of models losing the coveted 5* rating. Research for the 2025 edition of Semicast's automotive DMS report is underway. Message me for a copy of the outline document and to receive sample pages from the May 2024 report.

Back on world class pricing grounds!! 🤩👌🏽 A week ago, me Haohao He and Jennie Edvardsson had the chance to visit AstaZero installations in the vehicle testing hub at 📍🇸🇪 Borås! This visit has been connected to Trucks Euro NCAP initiative where Scania Group fully supports the Heavy Duty Truck rating coming to its launch on this next November! Once again, great and super relevant work here Matthew Avery ! 👏🏽👏🏽 The EuroNCAP rating has been a huge step to improve safety of passenger cars since 1997 and more recently general road safety for vulnerable road users and, where we foresee the same positive contribution will come to our truck industry’s. 💪🏽 Last, what a meeting understanding future software testing, 5G and GSR testing demands on automotive industry by Peter Janevik! Tack så mycket på det!

⭐ Watch how the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2024 earned 5 stars ⭐ Last month, Euro NCAP released the crash test video of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, along with nine other vehicles, that showed how it received five stars against our latest safety assessment protocols. Euro NCAP performs a series of crash and safety tests on car models from passive safety (e.g. crash and pedestrian tests) to active safety. 🛣️ Witness the rigorous testing process that ensures vehicles meet the highest safety standards here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4vt8tqF 🚗 #ncap #euroncap #safety #forsafercars #forsafervans #howsafeisyourcar #saferroads #safety #rating #roadsafety #drivesafely #cars #safercars #safetyratings #consumerprotection #electricvehicles #crashavoidance #ADAS #AD #assisteddriving #stars #MercedesBenz #EClass

Driver monitoring systems #DMS are now a mandated #safety #technology in Europe, required by the General Safety Regulation #GSR for compliance with #distraction and #drowsiness monitoring. Further Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks began testing for driver state monitoring #DSM in January 2023. Evidence from vehicle reviews shows some #OEMs have taken the lowest cost option in procuring their DMS. Ticking the "cheap" DMS box also ticks the "infuriating" DMS box, with #software which beeps, chimes and dings incessantly at drivers, leaving them exasperated. This is a great way to destroy customer brand loyalty with minimal cost and effort. The problem isn't with drowsiness detection. Simply put, if the driver has their eyes closed for a prolonged period, that is not a safe situation. There are well established metrics for measuring drowsiness, using #KSS and #PERCLOS, so that side of DMS is well understood. The problems present themselves in distraction #algorithms that don't understand human behavior. There are many reasons why a driver may turn their head when driving, some of which indicate distraction and some of which don't. We didn't see this issue in early L2/L2+ systems because of the ODD, but we are now because regulation requires DMS to be active all the time. Distinguishing between driving-related tasks and non-driving-related tasks is critical to the development of effective distraction algorithms used for real-world driving. A DMS developer that ignores research into human behavior will develop software which nags the driver about distracted driving even while they undertake necessary tasks such as checking mirrors, blind spots and speed. This is why "cheap" and "infuriating" increasingly go together in DMS procurement. The software can't understand human behavior. Anyone that does not fully understand the complex challenges of successfully mitigating distracted driving, and the roles of "owl" and "lizard" movement detection, or the implications of the long-glance-away #LGA and attention splitting #VATS are advised to download and read the linked research entitled: "European NCAP Driver State Monitoring Protocols: Prevalence of Distraction in Naturalistic Driving." The key conclusion from the research reads: "Euro NCAP-described driver distraction occurs naturalistically. Lizard glances, requiring gaze tracking, occurred in high frequency relative to owl glances, which only require head tracking, indicating that less sophisticated DSM will miss a substantial amount of distraction events." The May 2024 edition of Semicast's market report "ADAS & Automotive Vision-based #Driver #Monitoring #Systems" is available for purchase. Message me for a copy of the sales brochure and sample pages for the study. My inbox is open. All views expressed here are my own. Research link: https://lnkd.in/eUsx9u4u

I'm excited to share the highlights of this year's edition of Crash Test Technology International, packed with in-depth features and exclusive interviews that will keep you at the forefront of the automotive safety sector. Here's a sneak peek at what you'll find: 🔍 Deep dive: Explore how Mercedes-Benz AG-Benz is leveraging x-ray technology in safety analysis. 🎙 Exclusive interview: Insights from Tjark Kreuzinger, senior manager of safety research and technical affairs at Toyota Motor Europe. 🚦 Impact of Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks' new grading: Discover how the new Assisted Driving grading is set to transform the crash test sector. ⚡ Extreme H safety program: Get the inside story on the pioneering hydrogen fuel cell series set to succeed Extreme E. 🦴 Deep dive: Learn about a new lumbar spine prototype for ATDs developed by NeuRA (Neuroscience Research Australia) and Transurban. 🛡 Pedestrian safety: Coventry University's breakthrough tool for predicting pedestrian head injuries. 🚗 Rear-end collision research: University of West Bohemia, Pilsen's study on passenger injuries in highly automated vehicles. 🎉 CTTI's 25th anniversary: Industry leaders reflect on two decades of safety testing and share their vision for the future. This issue is a must-read for anyone invested in the future of automotive safety. Interested in reaching our engaged audience? Please let me know if you're interested in exploring advertising opportunities or contact the publication director Aboobaker Tayub. #automotivesafety #innovation #xraytechnology #autonomousvehicles #automatedvehicles #driverlesscars #selfdrivingvehicles #hydrogenfuelcell #fuelcell #safetyresearch #automotiveindustry #automotiveengineering #crashdummies #advertisingopportunities #AutoTestMag #AutoTestExpo #EuroNCAP

❓In-car infotainment systems. Friend or foe? Touchscreen digital technology has been replacing traditional buttons and dials in cars in recent years. Satnav, radio volume, music, in-cabin temperature: all adjustable on a glossy, colourful digital screen, hovering just below your line of sight. Or controlled via voice-commands. It’s all very appealing, particularly if you love your tech. But while most people are used to tapping and scrolling on a mobile phone or tablet, it can be a totally different kettle of fish while driving. It’s no easy task landing your finger on the right place on the touchscreen without taking your eyes off the road. And a split-second glance can easily turn into a longer one if you can’t immediately find the exact function you were aiming for. So, are digital infotainment systems a boon, or downright dangerous? Official figures have a story to tell. Research carried out in 2020 by specialists in the future of transport, TRL, concluded that both touch and voice activated infotainment systems had adverse effects on drivers’ reaction times that exceeded “the established benchmarks of the effect of alcohol consumption (at the legal limit) and cannabis use”. Figures from Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom don’t make for a reassuring read either. In 2022, driver distraction was a factor in 17% of all road accidents, up from 13% in 2013. And it was a factor in a massive 29% of road deaths. Yikes. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) believe that the law and Highway Code should be updated. Further investigations are needed to establish exactly which elements of touchscreens are the most distracting. ❓How many of the functions should be available to drivers while the vehicle is in motion? ❓ Is it safer to use a combination of touchscreen and old-fashioned buttons and dials? ❓ Would greater use of heads-up displays, thus moving the data higher up into the driver’s field of vision, improve the situation? The opinion of safety bodies on the Continent is moving in a similar direction. The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks) will be introducing a mandate next year that the five primary controls need to be physical buttons or switches. That’s the horn, windscreen wipers, indicators, hazard lights and any SOS features. While not legally binding, most car manufacturers do take heed of what NCAP advise. Many manufacturers are already switching back to, er, switches, with or without recommendations from official bodies. Presumably that’s down to consumer feedback. So, what DO drivers think? Among the many reports of research undertaken, the overwhelming response appears to be that most prefer the safety and control that only physical buttons and dials can bring. After all, who doesn’t like the satisfying click of a well-crafted button? 😊 #infotainment #technology #roadsafety #incartechnology

At HORIBA MIRA, we’re proud to conduct important vehicle tests in both real-world and virtual environments – always with a keen eye on sustainability. In the latest issue of ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International , our ADAS Test Technical Specialist, James Buck, gives an insight into how our CERTUS project is helping to reduce the cost of testing automated driving systems. Alongside our CERTUS project partners at Polestar, IPG Automotive, Connected Places Catapult and Coventry University, we are collaborating to develop a next-generation toolchain that takes real-world data and identifies gaps that can be filled via targeted additional tests on the proving ground. James also provides an expert technical insight into the upcoming Euro NCAP - For Safer Cars, Vans & Trucks 'For Safer Trucks' rating scheme, which is to be officially launched at HORIBA MIRA later this year. Click to P18 in this link to read: https://lnkd.in/dwzkEg8t #SaferJourneys #SmarterJourneys #CleanerJourneys