DEKRA study: truck assistance systems could prevent or soften many crashes with pedestrians and cyclists
A joint DEKRA study of 75 real truck accidents that killed or seriously injured pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists finds driver assistance systems could have helped in most cases.
- 75
- 2015 to 2024
- 100%
- 83%
What Happened
For pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, a collision with a truck often ends in death or severe injury — but the joint study says tragedies of this kind do not have to happen. DEKRA accident researcher Stefanie Ritter says driver assistance systems, along with mutual consideration and responsible behavior, play a particularly important role. The study was conducted by Daimler Truck's Accident Analysis department, Verkehrsunfallforschung an der TU Dresden GmbH (VUFO) and DEKRA Accident Research. Its conclusion is that the potential of driver assistance systems to prevent such accidents is significant.
For the project, 75 accidents from the years 2015 to 2024 involving a truck of ECE Class N2 or N3 and a vulnerable road user were selected from the databases of the three project partners. In each of these accidents, at least one person — on foot, on a bicycle or on a motorcycle — was killed or suffered serious injuries. After processing the relevant accident data, the cases were evaluated uniformly according to a defined scheme to assess the potential contribution of different driver assistance systems to preventing accidents or mitigating their consequences. The outcome was reliable findings on the effectiveness and relevance of the systems in the analyzed scenarios.
75
All from 2015 to 2024, drawn from the databases of Daimler Truck Accident Analysis, VUFO and DEKRA; each involved a vulnerable road user killed or seriously injured.
- Direct visibility for the truck driver could influence the severity of consequences in 93% of cases, collision warning systems could help in 94%, and emergency braking assistants in as many as 100%
- Direct visibility shows potential to reduce severity in 80% of cases, emergency braking assistants in 81%
- Blind-spot warning systems show high potential for preventing serious or fatal injuries in 83% of cases
“Surround-view systems and brake assist systems also show enormous potential; at the same time, passive safety systems such as wheel underride guards or front underrun protection can significantly reduce the consequences of a collision.”
- Direct visibility for the truck driver — crucial for pedestrians, since it can positively influence the severity of an accident's consequences in 93% of cases
- Collision warning systems — potential to help in 94% of the analyzed pedestrian accidents
- Emergency braking assistants — potential in 100% of pedestrian cases and 81% of cyclist cases
- Blind-spot warning systems — the main lever in motorcycle accidents, with high potential in 83% of cases
- Passive measures — wheel underride guards, front underrun protection and side underrun protection
Truck accidents involving motorcycles can be positively influenced primarily by blind-spot warning systems, and it also matters that motorcyclists can be seen from the truck in time. Although motorcycle accidents are often associated with high speeds, the analysis shows that passive systems — such as protection of vulnerable road users against sharp corners and edges, as defined by UNECE R61 — can mitigate the consequences of accidents. For cyclists, it is particularly important that they are not run over: side underrun protection systems and wheel guards can make a decisive contribution there. Further background information on this topic, and on many other aspects of road traffic as a workplace, can be found in the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2026, which is available online.
Previously from DEKRA
This study is published as part of the same DEKRA Road Safety Report 2026 that our earlier coverage drew on, which warned that even a quick glance at a cell phone can cause a severe crash and that automated driving features will not fully solve the problem. DEKRA's recent truck-related work has also looked at the driver's side of the job: a survey found that many professional truck drivers spend 30 to 60 minutes or more searching for a safe parking spot and that many fear crime at rest stops.
- DEKRA report: Even a quick glance at your cell phone can cause a severe crash
- Truck drivers lose up to an hour or more hunting for parking, DEKRA survey finds
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of DEKRA's official releases.
Why this matters
The study quantifies, case by case, how much each driver assistance or passive safety system could have helped in 75 crashes that killed or seriously injured someone on foot, a bicycle or a motorcycle — and the potential differs by road user group. That makes the findings relevant to anyone who walks, cycles or rides near heavy trucks, and to the manufacturers and fleets that decide which systems are fitted.
Terms in This Story
- Vulnerable road users
- A traffic-safety term for road users who lack the protection of a vehicle body — in this study, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
- Emergency braking assistant
- A driver assistance system that automatically brakes a vehicle to prevent a collision or to reduce the severity of its consequences.
- VUFO
- Verkehrsunfallforschung an der TU Dresden GmbH, the Traffic Accident Research Unit Dresden, one of the three partners behind the study.
- Underrun protection
- Guards fitted at the front or side of a truck to stop smaller vehicles, or people, from sliding underneath it in a collision.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.