• Electronics platform improves sensor-based detection range to the front and sides.
• Electronic aids such as Active Brake Assist 6, Active Sideguard Assist 2, Front Guard Assist, Traffic Sign Assist, and Active Drive Assist 3 can enhance safety and driving comfort.
• From February 2026, Mercedes-Benz Trucks will expand its safety system portfolio to include Active Brake Assist 6 Plus and Attention Assist 2.
• In addition to active safety, passive safety also plays an important role in ensuring a high level of occupant protection.
• Mercedes-Benz Trucks has been a pioneer in the industry for many years.
• Accident research enables technological advancement.
• Rainer Müller-Finkeldei, Head of Product Development at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: "We have been investing in research and development for many years in order, among other things, to provide drivers with even better support in their daily work with assistance systems and to further increase the safety of road users. With the new Safety Truck, we are underlining our commitment to continuing to drive forward the development of systems that will make the vision of accident-free driving a reality." 

Leinfelden-Echterdingen – Preventing accidents altogether or at least mitigating their consequences has always been a top priority for Mercedes-Benz Trucks across all model series. That is why new, more effective safety and assistance systems are constantly being developed for the vehicles and existing systems optimized. Almost all of the safety and assistance systems that are now mandatory for trucks were first used in a Mercedes-Benz truck. The company is now showcasing the current state of the art at Mercedes-Benz Trucks with its new Safety Truck. Based on the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, the truck lives up to its name. The even more powerful Active Brake Assist 6 emergency brake assistant is on board, as are the Active Sideguard Assist 2 turning assistant, Front Guard Assist, and Traffic Sign Assist, to name just a few examples^[1]. Most of the systems presented in the Safety Truck are now standard features in newly registered Mercedes-Benz trucks. The systems not only comply with the General Safety Regulation (GSR) standards that have been in force since July 2024, but in some cases exceed them in scope. In the case of the further developed Active Brake Assist 6 Plus and the also further developed Attention Assist 2 – both systems will be available from February 2026 – both systems already pre-fulfill some of the regulations for the coming years.

Rainer Müller-Finkeldei, Head of Product Development at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “We have been investing in research and development for many years in order, among other things, to provide drivers with even better support in their daily work with assistance systems and to further increase the safety of road users. With the new Safety Truck, we are underlining our commitment to continuing to drive forward the development of systems in order to make the vision of accident-free driving a reality.” 

All road users are affected

Safety assistance systems can help to ensure that moments of inattention due to fatigue, stress, or distraction, for example, have as few serious consequences as possible for everyone involved. In addition to vehicle occupants, this benefits other road users in particular, such as those traveling by car, bicycle, or on foot. After all, they are most often the ones who suffer in accidents involving trucks. According to the latest figures published in February 2025 by the EU database CARE, in 2023, approximately 90 percent of fatalities in accidents involving goods vehicles weighing 3.5 tons or more were people who were not occupants of these vehicles. Car occupants accounted for the majority of fatalities at around 50 percent, followed by pedestrians at around 15 percent and cyclists at around 6 percent^[2].

Overall, the number of road users killed in such accidents has fallen in recent years. In 2013, there were just under 3,260 road deaths in this category, compared to around 2,830 in 2023. This corresponds to just under 14 percent of all road deaths in the EU – a percentage that has remained more or less at this level for some time. Looking only at the occupants of goods vehicles weighing 3.5 tons or more killed in all road traffic accidents in the EU, the number in 2023 was 333. That was slightly more than 1.6 percent of all 20,384 traffic fatalities^[3]. The most common types of accidents – as shown by accident research analyses conducted by Mercedes-Benz Trucks – include rear-end collisions, especially at the end of traffic jams, lane departures, side impacts at intersections, collisions when turning due to blind spots, and accidents involving crossing pedestrians.

New electronics platform

When it comes to active safety systems, equipping vehicles with cameras and sensors is crucial to their effectiveness. In this context, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has introduced a new electronics platform in the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 and Mercedes-Benz Actros L, which uses sensor fusion to combine radar and camera data, enabling an even wider detection range to the front and sides. The electronic platform offers 20 times higher data processing power, and the six sensors installed – four short-range radars on the front and rear, both on the right and left, a long-range radar in the front center, and a multifunction camera in the windshield – can cover an angle of 270 degrees around the vehicle. As a result, the built-in safety assistance systems can play to their strengths even better.

Active Brake Assist 6 Plus with multi-lane monitoring

One example of the efficiency of the 270-degree fusion technology and the partial overfulfillment of the GSR is the Active Brake Assist (ABA), now in its sixth generation. Daimler Truck's latest emergency brake assistant can now react to pedestrians crossing, approaching, or walking in the lane, as well as cyclists, with automated emergency braking to a standstill at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The GSR requires the extended response to pedestrians and cyclists for new trucks and buses only from July 1, 2026. As before, the system can react to vehicles in front at speeds of up to 80 km/h with emergency braking to a standstill. Another added value of ABA 6 is multi-lane monitoring at a distance of up to 250 meters for even better hazard detection.

Active Brake Assist 6, which will be replaced by Active Brake Assist 6 Plus in February 2026, already pre-complies with AEBS (Advanced Emergency Braking System) legislation, which will come into force in September 2028. Thanks to the 270-degree fusion technology mentioned above, the system is able to react even faster to critical situations. This means that accidents can be avoided more effectively, both for vehicles traveling at up to 90 km/h and for pedestrians and cyclists traveling at up to 60 km/h. The system also clearly indicates when it is fully initialized.

The lane and attention in the camera view

To ensure that a brief moment of inattention has as few serious consequences as possible, Lane Keeping Assist is also a proven system – it can alert the driver to an imminent departure from their marked lane by means of an acoustic and visual signal with a warning message on the display. To do this, a digital camera constantly monitors the road ahead of the truck and can detect dangerous deviations from the lane on marked roads.

The Attention Assist system, which is almost always automatically integrated in vehicles larger than 18 tons with Lane Keeping Assist, also plays an important role in this context. Even when Lane Keeping Assist is deactivated, the system continuously monitors the driver's attention using various parameters. The Attention Assist can detect from typical steering maneuvers when the driver's concentration on safe driving is waning and, after detecting a critical threshold, prompts the driver to take a break with visual and acoustic signals. Attention Assist is active at speeds of around 60 km/h and above. If Lane Keeping Assist has been deactivated, it is automatically reactivated with a warning from Attention Assist.

New Attention Assist 2 calculates viewing angle and fatigue level

Attention Assist 2, a further developed version of Attention Assist, will be available from February 2026. The system can help prevent accidents by issuing visual and audible warnings if the driver is inattentive or overtired. Using an integrated infrared camera for visual recognition of head and pupil position, it detects not only the driver's fatigue level based on signs such as increased blinking, yawning, or drooping eyelids, but also the driver's attention level based on the calculated viewing angle. This is a closed system: all data remains exclusively in the vehicle and is deleted by the system after 15 minutes.

Active Sideguard Assist 2 with extended functionality on the driver's side

The extent to which equipping vehicles with six sensors and the associated increased detection range can improve road safety is also demonstrated by the second-generation Active Sideguard Assist (ASGA). ASGA 2 monitors traffic on both the driver's and passenger's sides and, with its two-stage warning system, can alert drivers to potential hazards so that critical traffic situations can be defused by timely intervention. ASGA 2 can provide information and warnings on both sides across the entire speed range and also covers the legally required area on the passenger side. More specifically, this is 30 meters behind and 7 meters in front of the vehicle up to a speed of 30 km/h. The system can also initiate automated braking up to a speed of 20 km/h when turning right until the vehicle comes to a standstill if the driver has not responded to an acoustic and visual warning. With this function, too, the system exceeds the requirements of the GSR, which only stipulates that the turning assistant must issue a warning if necessary. In addition, ASGA 2 features an intelligent lane change warning concept that depends on the vehicle's position in the lane.

Front Guard Assist monitors the traffic area immediately in front of the vehicle

The new Front Guard Assist can be a helpful feature for avoiding accidents with pedestrians or cyclists who may be directly in front of the truck when starting off. The assistance system monitors the traffic area in front of the vehicle and supports drivers when the vehicle is stationary, when starting off, and at intersections. If the system detects stationary or moving objects in front of the vehicle, it supports drivers in driving situations up to 15 km/h by issuing hazard warnings via the two-stage warning system. The 270-degree fusion technology covers the blind spot in front of the vehicle from 0.8 meters to approximately four meters across the entire width of the vehicle.

Traffic Sign Assist recognizes traffic signs in real time

Daimler Truck also goes beyond the GSR requirements with another assistance system: Traffic Sign Assist. While EU regulations only require the display of the applicable speed limit, the system also recognizes overtaking restrictions and their lifting, as well as other warning signs, and always displays the last two identified signs on the multimedia cockpit or classic cockpit. By intelligently linking camera and map data, Traffic Sign Assist also supports the driver by permanently displaying the last recognized speed limit relevant to trucks, which in turn makes it easier to comply with the permitted speed. The system can thus reduce the risk of accidents caused by excessive speed and inattention. This also helps to avoid traffic tickets or fines for speeding. An audible warning sounds when the permitted maximum speed is exceeded. The OCR technology used – essentially optical character recognition – also “reads” any time restrictions in the relevant regulations. The high computing power and built-in sensors, in combination with the GPS system, provide accurate data in real time for precise positioning and information about the vehicle's surroundings. Traffic Sign Assist works despite the different signage in Europe.

Reducing the risk of skidding: Stability Control Assist and Rollover Control Assist

Two active safety systems designed to reduce the risk of skidding in tractor units and semi-trailers, particularly when cornering or performing evasive maneuvers, are Stability Control Assist and Trailer Stability Control Assist. In critical driving situations, when the vehicle tends to understeer or oversteer when cornering, the braking forces on each individual wheel are specifically controlled. In addition, engine power is reduced and the possible “buckling” of the semi-trailer is prevented by simultaneous, measured braking of the trailer, even if it is still equipped with a conventional pneumatic braking system.

The active stability control system also detects any tendency for semi-trailers to tip over at an early stage. If the trailer reaches the tipping point unnoticed by the driver in long curves – such as on highway exits – or during fast lane changes, the speed of the semi-trailer truck is automatically reduced until driving stability is fully restored. Within the limits of physical possibilities and system limitations, this significantly reduces the risk of the semi-trailer tipping over.

The roll control assistant also serves to protect the driver and vehicle. The system automatically adjusts the damping hardness to the respective driving situation and road conditions. Sensors detect vertical movements on the front and rear axles, brake pressure, load status, accelerator pedal movements, and speed. These values are recorded and evaluated by the central control electronics and transmitted as control signals to the shock absorbers, which are equipped with an electrically controllable valve.

Relaxed semi-automated driving

The Safety Truck also features the third generation of Active Drive Assist (ADA 3), which enables semi-automated driving (Level 2). While the second generation was expanded to include an emergency stop function, ADA 3 now provides even better support to the driver in terms of longitudinal and lateral control of the truck. The emergency steering function is a particularly new feature: if Active Sideguard Assist 2 (ASGA 2) detects a risk of collision when changing lanes, ADA 3 can actively countersteer to prevent the vehicle from leaving the lane and guide it safely back into its own lane.

Like the previous generation, ADA 3 can also automatically maintain distance, accelerate, and steer, provided that the necessary system conditions are met, such as a sufficient curve radius or clearly visible lane markings. If the driver is in danger of getting too close to a vehicle in front, ADA 3 can automatically brake the truck to maintain the set distance to the vehicle in front. Once there is sufficient distance again, the system can accelerate the vehicle back up to the set speed. If the system detects that the driver is permanently unable to intervene in the driving process during the journey, for example due to health problems, it is able, within the system limits, to brake moderately to a standstill or initiate an emergency stop. In addition, the doors are unlocked so that first responders or emergency services can reach the driver directly in the event of a medical emergency.

Less is more: second generation of MirrorCam with shorter camera arms

Another feature of the Safety Truck is the MirrorCam. Developed by Mercedes-Benz Trucks and now available in its second generation with camera arms that are ten centimeters shorter and new image parameters, this mirror camera system can help make situations such as overtaking, maneuvering, driving in poor visibility and darkness, cornering, and passing through narrow passages even safer and less stressful. Other helpful functions include wide-angle mode for reversing maneuvers, distance lines on the display for better assessment of the distance to objects behind the vehicle, panning of the camera image when cornering, and monitoring of the vehicle's surroundings during breaks. The interaction between the MirrorCam and the Mercedes-Benz Trucks turning assistant can also help to defuse dangerous situations, especially in complex traffic situations and at blind intersections. The turning assistant uses the MirrorCam display for visual warnings.

Acoustic warning system increases awareness of battery-electric trucks

A feature specifically for trucks with battery-electric drives such as the eActros 600 is the external Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) required by law. Background: The low noise level of the vehicle can lead to dangerous situations in some cases, for example, if pedestrians or cyclists notice the electric truck too late. The acoustic warning system is designed to prevent such dangerous situations. The AVAS consists of two loudspeakers – one at the front and one at the rear – which are connected to each other and to the vehicle. Depending on the driving conditions, sounds are played for forward or reverse driving. The forward sound “simulates” a quiet fan noise, while an intermittent sound consisting of two tones is played when reversing.

High occupant protection also through passive safety

With its new Safety Truck, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is also emphasizing that passive safety is just as important as active safety. The occupant protection system is designed to effectively absorb and dissipate the impact energy in the event of a head-on collision. Thanks to an innovative mechanical crash concept, the cab shifts upwards and thus out of the danger zone, protecting the occupants' survival space and reducing the consequences of an accident. The vehicle is also available with airbags and seatbelt tensioners, which further increase occupant protection.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has ensured through robust mechanical design that the high-voltage batteries and all other high-voltage components in electric trucks remain as intact and intrinsically safe as possible even after a serious collision. In addition, the vehicle is able to detect particularly severe frontal impact and rollover scenarios and then automatically shut down its high-voltage system in order to ensure the vehicle's intrinsic safety in these cases as well. This provides additional protection not only for the driver, but also for the surroundings of an accident vehicle and rescue workers.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has been a pioneer in the industry for years

With the safety systems featured in the Safety Truck, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is once again underlining its position as one of the pioneers in the industry. The company has demonstrated its pioneering role in the development of safety features in recent years with a whole series of new developments. For example, a truck equipped with Active Brake Assist 1 (ABA), which was launched in 2006, was able to initiate emergency braking within the system limits for the first time. The functions of the emergency brake assist system have been consistently expanded up to the current sixth generation. One milestone was ABA 5, which can now respond to moving persons not only with partial braking but also with full braking. In 2016, the company was the first truck manufacturer to offer a turn assist system ex works. And since 2018, Active Drive Assist (ADA) has enabled semi-automated driving (SAE Level 2) in a series-production truck for the first time. In June 2021, Daimler Truck was once again the first manufacturer to launch Active Sideguard Assist (ASGA), a so-called active turning assistant with brake intervention.

Targeted Accident Research in Line with “Vision Zero”

A central role in the development of safety systems across all Mercedes-Benz Trucks model series is played by the company’s commercial vehicle accident research. Since 1972, it has been analyzing accidents involving Mercedes-Benz trucks and deriving measures to optimize both active and passive safety. There is a clear reason for this approach: real-world accident scenarios best reveal where and how action is needed to prevent accidents entirely, or at least mitigate their consequences for road users—in line with the “Vision Zero” principle. For this reason, all information about the accident sequence, the vehicles involved, and the resulting damage is documented for the vehicles under investigation. Accident researchers also look for patterns, such as the frequency of certain types of accidents, the recognizability of specific sequences, or the injuries sustained by those involved.

The analyses carried out by accident research go hand in hand with crash tests that have also been systematically conducted for many years. In addition, real accidents are deliberately reconstructed in computer simulations. The combination of crash simulation and accident reconstruction makes it possible to study accidents more precisely and with freely selectable parameters, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind real-world crashes. As the finishing touch to robust vehicle safety development, crash tests and simulations form a sustainable unit together with accident research. This approach also reflects the holistic concept of “Integral Safety,” which Mercedes-Benz Trucks pursues more than ever. According to this concept, the systems installed in vehicles to provide passive and active safety can offer support in four phases: first during driving, second in hazardous situations, third during an accident, and fourth after a collision.

About the eActros 600

Mercedes-Benz Trucks celebrated the series launch of the eActros 600 at the end of November last year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. Deliveries to customers began in December 2024. The electric flagship from Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already proven its capabilities several times under real-life conditions: In customer use and as part of the “eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024”, a 15,000-kilometer all-electric development trip through a total of 22 countries and the “European Testing Tour Winter 2025” on around 6,500 kilometers through Northern Europe, each with a gross combination mass of 40 tons. In addition, the e-truck was voted “International Truck of the Year 2025”. The award is the most important prize in the industry and is presented annually by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) organization, consisting of 24 commercial vehicle journalists from Europe.

The high battery capacity of over 600 kilowatt hours - hence the model designation 600 – and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable the eActros 600 to achieve a range of 500 kilometers^[4] without intermediate charging. This range is accomplished under very realistic and practical conditions with a gross combination mass of 40 tons, which can also be significantly exceeded depending on the driving style and the route. The eActros 600 will even be able to cover well over 1,000 kilometers per day. Intermediate charging during statutory driver breaks makes this possible, provided that charging options are available.

The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh^[5]. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterized by a long service life. The development engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks designed the eActros 600 to meet the same requirements for the durability of vehicles and components as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros. This means up to 1.2 million kilometers in ten years of operation. After this period of use, the battery state of health should still be above 80 percent. In contrast to other battery cell technologies, more than 95 percent of the installed capacity can also be used with LFP technology. This facilitates a higher range with the same installed battery capacity. The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination mass of up to 44 tons. With a standard semitrailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tons in the EU. There might be cases in which national law allows higher payloads.

In order to meet even more customer requirements, Mercedes-Benz Trucks recently expanded its battery-electric truck portfolio with additional variants based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Depending on their requirements in terms of range, payload, and comfort, customers will be able to choose between two cab variants, two or three battery packs, numerous wheelbases, and new axle configurations. The second model generation of the eActros thus offers over 40 variants of the base vehicle. The new vehicle versions feature the key characteristics of the eActros 600, such as LFP battery technology and the specially developed eAxle.

_{[1]  With all assistance systems, Mercedes-Benz Trucks aims to provide the drivers with the best possible support and relief during their journey within the system limits. The boundaries of physics cannot be pushed with these systems. As stipulated by law, the driver remains fully responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle at all times.
[2] European Commission (2025). Road Safety Thematic Report – Professional Drivers of HGVs and Buses. European Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
[3] European Commission (2025). Road Traffic Fatalities in the EU in 2023 – Collision Matrix Total 2023 Data. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport.
[4] The range was determined internally under specific test conditions, after preconditioning with a 4x2 tractor unit with a 40 tons total towing weight at 20°C outside temperature in long-haul operation and may deviate from the values determined in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2400.
[5] Nominal capacity of a new battery, based on internally defined boundary conditions. This may vary depending on the application and ambient conditions.}