Safer cyclists thanks to the SEAT SUV that recognises bicycles

Thanks to an improved Front Assist system, those moving on two wheels are safer.

Every year, eight out of one hundred road accidents in Europe involve cyclists. This is why SEAT has perfected a driving assistant which recognises and protects those riding a bicycle on the road, available on all new standard Tarraco SUVs. It is an evolved version of the Front Assist and it is based on a radar mounted at the front of the vehicle. When this detects the presence of one or more cyclists, according to the speed and trajectory of both the car and the cyclists, it triggers a number of actions to prevent a possible collision. It all works very fast: in cases of imminent collision, the system alerts the driver with visual and acoustic warnings.

Emergency braking

If the driver does not react, the car automatically begins an emergency braking manoeuvre between 0.8 and 1 second before the possible accident takes place. In a real driving situation, it means that when driving down a road at 72 km/h, the car would begin to respond approximately 20 metres before a possible collision. To get to this result, 1200 development tests have been performed, by recreating 450 different scenarios on a track. Simulations are performed in real driving conditions, with structures that reproduce different situations such as the presence of pedestrians or cyclists.

The driver’s responsibility

Advanced Active Safety systems play an increasingly important role for the safety of road users; in some cases they can prevent accidents or minimise their consequences. Obviously, though, the person driving the car is always ultimately responsible. A few simple rules, both for drivers (reducing speed and maintaining the safety distance when passing a cyclist), and cyclists (riding on the right and wearing a helmet) with the aim of making roads safer for everyone.

Source: SEAT S.A.