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The car that looks out for cyclists

Release Date: 10 Dec 2018
The SEAT Tarraco's new assistant
  • The new SUV features an assistant that detects the presence of cyclists, who are involved in 8% of all road accidents in Europe
  • The car alerts the driver with an audible and visualwarning signal, or even brakes automatically
  • At 72 km/h, the vehicle begins to brake 20 metres prior to a possible collision with a cyclist riding in the same direction as the car
Martorell, 10/12/2018.- A SEAT engineer and two of his cycling enthusiast friends take to the road to show us how the new driving assistant on the SEAT Tarraco operates to protect riders, as they are involved in 8% of traffic accidents in Europe. This is how it works:
-A car with the ability to recognise a bicycle: At the wheel of the SEAT Tarraco, Esteban Alcantara, who is responsible for Active Safety at SEAT, encounters a couple of cyclists travelling in the same direction. When he gets closer to them, "the front mounted elradar detects their presence, and according to the trajectory and speed of both the car and the cyclists, triggers a number of actions to prevent a possible collision", he says.
-Every second counts: When the assistant on the SEAT Tarraco detects an imminent collision in 1.5 or 2 seconds, it activates an audible  and visual warning. 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. According to this engineer, in a real driving situation this means that "when driving down a road at 72 km/h, the car would begin to respond approximately 20 metres before a possible collision", he adds.
- 1,200 development tests: This is how many trials this assistant goes through, by recreating 450 different  scenarios on a track. "Simulations are performed in severalreal driving conditions. Structures are used that reproduce the properties of different road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists, to test how the vehicle responds in each situation", explains this engineer.
-The driver is ultimately responsible: Alcantara acknowledges  that driving  assistants  are of great help at the wheel: "Active Safety systems play an increasingly important role in protecting road users, and in some cases can prevent accidents or minimise their consequences." However, this expert points out that the person driving the car is always ultimately responsible. "This kind of assistant is no substitute for the driver's obligation to remain alert, respect traffic regulations, reduce speed and maintain the safety distance when passing a cyclist", he states. At the same time, cyclists have to ride on the right, wear a bicycle helmet in built-up  areas, and they are not allowed to ride in a group.
- Keeping everyone safe: "At the SEAT R&D Centre we are sensitive about protecting drivers as well as all other road users", says Esteban. Furthermore, company designer and amateur cyclist Tony Gallardo also emphasises that "more and more people are taking a liking to this sport, so we must stay committed to promoting the correct conduct on the road and to keeping everyone safe", he adds.
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