Today, PRECO and MEKRA Lang are working to bring Side Defender®II’s VRU and lane change assistance solution to Germany and neighboring European countries to combat on-road incident rates.
BOISE, Idaho and ERGERSHEIM, Germany (PRWEB) May 23, 2019
PRECO Electronics® has named strategic partner MEKRAtronics, the aftermarket business division of MEKRA Lang GmbH & Co. KG®, as its authorized dealer for the newly launched PreView Side Defender®II system in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Designed, engineered, and manufactured by PRECO in the United States, Side Defender®II is TÜV certified, and fulfills all requirements and recommendations for Abbiegeassistent (turn assist) in the European Union, according to the traffic journal of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).
Looking to reverse the increasing trend of incidents involving bicyclists and right turning trucks and busses in the European Union (EU), PRECO’s engineering team improved upon its original PreView Side Defender® lane change technology by adding slow-speed warning for vulnerable road users (VRU) such as bicyclists. With the support of MEKRA Lang, PRECO tested and updated the design, bringing the Side Defender®II solution to fruition. Proven to warn drivers of VRUs in slow-speed intersection turning scenarios while ignoring stationary objects to minimize nuisance alerts, Side Defender®II is the most reliable urban turning assistance solution available worldwide.
Today, PRECO and MEKRA Lang are working to bring Side Defender®II’s VRU and lane change assistance solution to Germany and neighboring European countries to combat on-road incident rates. With the general operating permit from the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), Side Defender®II, available through MEKRA Lang and MEKRAtronics as the MEKRA Lang Turn Assist System (AAS), is eligible for subsidies for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes as part of the, "Aktion Abbiegeassistent," put in place by Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer and the BMVI, last year.
Side Defender®II can be supplemented with MEKRA Lang’s camera monitor systems, creating a radar-vision fusion turning assistant. A solution made possible through Side Defender®II’s integrative capabilities.
Presented by MEKRA Lang, the turning assistant AAS-fusion proved its position as the best side turn assistance system available in a recent comparison conducted by ADAC testing service in the EU. Taking top marks both on the field and on the real road, the AAS-fusion was examined in the form of specific test scenarios based on the requirements of the BMVI and the specifications of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Partners since April 2016, the integration of PRECO’s radars and MEKRA Lang’s vision systems allows drivers to identify objects detected by the PreView® Radar via visual confirmation. Through the fusion of these components, drivers quickly accept and become confident in the system while optimum protection is provided for VRUs.
MEKRAtronics, an authorized dealer in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, has introduced PRECO’s suite of PreView® Radar collision avoidance solutions across a broad spectrum of Europe’s heavy-duty vehicle industries, including trucking, waste, recycling, construction, and mining. As MEKRA Lang’s aftermarket business division, MEKRAtronics sells MEKRA Lang’s camera monitors, mirrors, and vision systems throughout the EU. MEKRA Lang’s Dead Angle Assistant is eligible for purchase from MEKRAtronics, separate from the original PRECO Side Defender®II radar system.
About PRECO Electronics®
As the global leader in collision mitigation technology, PRECO has offered side blind spot monitoring and collision avoidance systems for heavy and medium-duty trucks for over 20 years. Since 2016, PreView Side Defender® has been the most advanced side blind spot monitoring solution available. In reducing incident rates up to 85 percent, Side Defender® technology has been a proven solution to side blind spot collisions. Now, Side Defender®II takes its place as the new global benchmark.
About MEKRA Lang®
MEKRA Lang GmbH & Co. KG is the leading manufacturer of mirror systems for commercial vehicles as well as specialized camera monitor systems for automotive applications worldwide. As an innovative and recognized expert for indirect vision, MEKRA works together with all major commercial vehicle manufacturers to ensure more safety on the roads.
To learn more about PRECO’s PreView Side Defender®II, please visit http://www.preco.com or contact one of PRECO’s safety professionals today. Side Defender®II will be available internationally in May 2019. For information on the release, please contact Reyna Clow at rclow(at)preco(dot)com.
