LTB092/19 Royal Mail & Parcelforce Fleet New Volkswagen (VW) Caddy Maxi and Crafter Vehicles – Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS) & City Emergency Braking System
No. 092/2019
8 February 2019
Our Ref: V4/19
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Royal Mail & Parcelforce Fleet New Volkswagen (VW) Caddy Maxi and Crafter Vehicles – Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS) & City Emergency Braking System
Royal Mail Fleet have informed the Health, Safety & Environment Department that New Royal Mail and Parcelforce Volkswagen (VW) fleet vehicles being introduced in to Royal Mail service will be fitted with new safety braking system features by way of collision avoidance technology, safety systems as described below.
Volkswagen (VW) Commercial Vehicles are the first van manufacturer to fit Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems as standard, which have been shown to cut rear-end crashes.
Depending on speed and situation, the VW Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS) and City Emergency Braking can reduce accident severity at higher speeds and even avoid a crash at lower speeds.
The AEBS consists of two elements. Front assist and City Emergency braking. Front assist (autonomous), which warns the driver of imminent collisions up to speeds of 130mph (VW Caddy Maxi) and 99mph (VW Crafter) and will assist the driver in braking when a collision is imminent. The City Emergency Braking (autonomous) works in tandem with Front Assist and operates up to speeds of 18mph, initiating an emergency brake if a collision is detected.
Using radar built into the front end of the van, the system uses a laser sensor to detect critical distances to the vehicle in front and the risk of an impending collision. If the driver does not brake and a collision is imminent then the system primes and applies the brakes automatically, to ensure that the speed of any collision is reduced.
Three quarters of collisions occur in so-called city environments (at under 25 mph) and a study by Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) showed autonomous braking leads to a
38 per cent reduction in real-world rear-end crashes. The City Emergency Braking system is an innovative collision avoiding technology designed to address these low speed city environment collisions.
Appendix 1
| VW | CADDY MAXI |
| Office | Number |
| BARNSLEY DO | 25 |
| HEREFORD DO | 5 |
| WORCESTER CITY DO | 4 |
| MALVERN DO | 4 |
| SLOUGH DO | 4 |
| CHORLEY DO | 3 |
| CARNFORTH DO | 3 |
| GREENFORD COLLECTIONS | 3 |
| PRESTON (PR4) DO | 3 |
| BLACKPOOL DO | 2 |
| WEMBLEY DO | 2 |
| HALESWORTH DO | 2 |
| LEDBURY DO | 2 |
| PRESTON (PR1 TO PR2) DO | 2 |
| BLACKBURN DO | 2 |
| TENBURY WELLS SPDO | 2 |
| KENDAL DO | 2 |
| UXBRIDGE DO | 2 |
| CLITHEROE DO | 1 |
| NEW MALDEN DO | 1 |
| STANMORE DO | 1 |
| EVESHAM DO | 1 |
| PERSHORE DO | 1 |
| FELTHAM DO | 1 |
| ROSSENDALE DO | 1 |
| WINDSOR DO | 1 |
| KIDDERMINSTER DO | 1 |
| GARSTANG DO | 1 |
| NORTHOLT DO | 1 |
| ALCESTER DO | 1 |
| HENLEY IN ARDEN PDO | 1 |
| LEYLAND DO | 1 |
| ROSS ON WYE DO | 1 |
| LONGRIDGE DO | 1 |
| EPSOM DO | 1 |
| MAIDENHEAD DO | 1 |
| STOURPORT DO | 1 |
| BURNLEY DO | 1 |
| MARLOW DO | 1 |
| KINGSTON & SURBITON DO | 1 |
| WEYBRIDGE DO | 1 |
| KIRKBY LONSDALE SPDO | 1 |
| WOLVERHAMPTON DO | 1 |
| LANCASTER DO | 1 |
| ADDLESTONE DO | 1 |
| LEATHERHEAD DO | 1 |
| Grand Total | 100 |
| VW | CRAFTER |
| Parcelforce/VW Depots | Number |
| LEEDS LD | 20 |
| SHREWSBURY LD | 13 |
| GATWICK LD | 10 |
| LONDON SOUTH EAST LD | 10 |
| EDINBURGH LD | 9 |
| Hatfield LD | 9 |
| GLASGOW LD | 9 |
| NORTH ESSEX LD | 8 |
| OXFORD LD | 8 |
| MILTON KEYNES LD | 8 |
| BRISTOL LD | 7 |
| SOLENT LD | 7 |
| ROTHERHAM EAST LD | 6 |
| PRESTON LD | 6 |
| POOLE LD | 6 |
| NOTTINGHAM LD | 6 |
| LONDON EAST LD | 5 |
| RMSS WEST THURROCK | 5 |
| LONDON NORTH WEST LD | 5 |
| YORK LD | 5 |
| LEICESTER LD | 5 |
| MANCHESTER LD | 5 |
| CLEVELAND LD | 4 |
| STOKE LD | 4 |
| NORWICH LD | 4 |
| BIRMINGHAM LD | 4 |
| PLYMOUTH LD | 4 |
| NEWCASTLE LD | 4 |
| READING LD | 4 |
| EXETER LD | 4 |
| ALDERSHOT LD | 4 |
| NEWPORT LD | 3 |
| IPSWICH LD | 3 |
| INVERNESS LD | 3 |
| PORTADOWN LD | 3 |
| GLOUCESTER LD | 3 |
| LONDON SOUTH WEST LD | 3 |
| CORNWALL LD | 3 |
| LONDON CENTRAL (CAMDEN) LD | 2 |
| MEDWAY LD | 2 |
| BELFAST LD | 2 |
| BASINGSTOKE LD | 2 |
| RMSS MANCHESTER | 2 |
| RMSS WEDNESBURY | 1 |
| ABERDEEN LD | 1 |
| DEESIDE LD | 1 |
| COVENTRY LD | 1 |
| SWANSEA LD | 1 |
| RMCS RELAY LONDON | 1 |
| HEREFORD LD | 1 |
| RMSS EPSOM | 1 |
| CAMBRIDGE LD | 1 |
| CARLISLE LD | 1 |
| LINCOLN LD | 1 |
| RMSS NOTTINGHAM | 1 |
| LIVERPOOL LD | 1 |
| RMSS SOUTHAMPTON | 1 |
| PERTH LD | 1 |
| Grand Total | 254 |
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer