Driving safety is essential. The freedom that a vehicle gives us to move from one place to another would not make sense if the journeys are not safe. To reduce risks at the wheel, as of July 6, 2022, newly approved European vehicles will have to have several driving assistance systems (ADAS) installed, – for all newly registered cars the obligation will enter into effective from July 2024-. And one of these systems is the emergency braking alert, not to be confused with the automatic emergency braking system.
The emergency braking signal is one of the six ADAS systems that will be mandatory for all vehicles (not just cars), among which are also reversing detection, intelligent speed assistant, fatigue detector and attention, tire pressure control and black box where data is collected.
What is the emergency braking signal?
Also known as ESS signal (Emergency Stop Signal) or EBD (Emergency Braking Display). Its purpose is to alert the driver behind in the event of a sudden stop or activation of the ABS. Its objective is to help drivers of other vehicles to detect that the vehicle in front is making an emergency stop. The result is that the consequences of a rear-end collision due to unexpected braking are avoided or reduced.
How does it work?
The vehicle has to have a number of components for ESS to work: a sensor on the brake pedal to measure the speed with which the brake is pressed; pulse-start brake lights; and accelerometer. The latter is responsible for continuously measuring the deceleration of the vehicle. And it is only in the case of decelerations greater than 7 m/s2 that the emergency brake lights would be activated. For the speed to be activated it has to be greater than 55 km/h or when the ABS is activated.
The brake lights come on with a quick flash when the brake is pressed hard and fast, managing to alert the driver or drivers behind our car. This way they can anticipate and give them more reaction time to avoid the collision. It must be remembered that one of the most frequent injuries of the rear scopes are those that affect the cervical, so this emergency braking alert will be very welcome.
If the brake light flashes, attention!
As explained by the Mapfre Foundation, “a reduction in reaction time could be estimated by 0.5 seconds, with the consequent reduction in braking distance, but in terms of the probability of avoiding the accident, it does not depend on the system but on the circumstances. of the road and the driver of the vehicle that circulates behind our vehicle”. In this sense, it is very important to respect the safety distance between vehicles.
For a good result of this emergency braking signal, it is essential that all drivers know it, know how to identify the meaning of these pulsations in the brake lights and react accordingly.
