New Ford Focus receives Advanced safety rewards from Euro NCAP

The new Ford Focus has become the first car ever to receive four Advanced safety rewards from Euro NCAP for two new technologies it features. The technologies are called Driver alert and forward alert technologies. The new Focus has made Ford one of only two manufactures to hold four of these awards. 

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP general secretary said: “As part of Euro NCAP’s mission to promote important innovations in safety, we are rewarding Ford for its Driver Alert and Forward Alert systems on the Focus, making the car the first that offers four rewarded technologies. Seeing a C-segment volume seller like Focus rewarded for various technologies clearly shows where Ford and the automobile industry is moving in Europe. Confidence is growing that driver assistance functions save lives and reduce injuries, the rewards emphasise the benefits for consumers.”

The Driver Alert system uses onboard sensors and advanced camera technology to monitor the vehicle’s position in relation to lane markings and by monitoring the erratic movements of the vehicle with the help of a yaw sensor. The information is used to alert the driver via the instrument cluster that he/she is fatigued and needs to rest. The Driver Alert feature is available on new Focus, C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy.

Ford engineer Margareta Nieh, said, “Driver fatigue can affect anyone. When a driver becomes drowsy they tend to drift off-line as they lose concentration and they might make sudden corrective steering inputs. Our Driver Alert system is designed to detect these erratic driving movements and warn the driver in a timely manner.”

The Forward Alert technology is essentially a radar guided cruise control which uses radar waves to scan the road ahead. If it detects obstacles on the path of the vehicle it first warns the driver by an audible chime and flashing lights in the instrument cluster which tell the driver to slow down. If the driver does not react the system automatically triggers the brakes on the car and brings the car to a halt by itself. The system reacts appropriately to braking vehicles, slower moving vehicles ahead or stationary vehicles in front of the car. 

The Forward Alert system comes with three different sensitivity settings and can be switched on or off, but the brake support feature which prepares the brake system for rapid braking by pre charging the brake booster is always active. When this happens the brakes are automatically applied and the vehicle will jerk slightly. After which when the driver list off the throttle and steps on the brakes the system will apply full braking force to bring the vehicle to a safe halt.