Volvo Trucks in discussions on increased traffic safety

Last week Volvo Trucks participated in DEKRA’s symposium on “Safety in Commercial Vehicles” in Neumünster, Germany, where it presented both its alco-lock and the European Modular System (EMS) as tools for improving traffic safety in Europe.

More than 40,000 people die within the European Union every year as a result of traffic accidents. According to Swedish statistics, almost one-third of such accidents are alcohol-related. Volvo Trucks is in favour of voluntary use of alco-locks and is the first vehicle manufacturer in the world to offer factory-fitted alco-locks on its vehicles.

“The European modular concept also helps improve safety since it reduces the number of vehicles actually on the roads. It also helps lower the overall negative environmental impact,” explains Lennart Pilskog, head of Public Affairs at Volvo Trucks.

The European Modular System (EMS), whereby two longer truck rigs can carry out the same haulage work as three of today’s shorter EU rigs, has been used with immense success in both Sweden and Finland since 1997. The concept has also been tested in the Netherlands and studies of the test reveal overwhelmingly positive experiences. The results of the Dutch trials will also form the basis for the European Union’s approach to finding better transport solutions within Europe.