The European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) recently awarded Ford with another crowning achievement. For the first time every, the vehicle safety evaluation authority has allowed a single vehicle to earn four Advanced Safety Rewards: the 2012 Focus. The accolades were given due to four key technologies found on the compact car. Active City Stop, Lane Keeping Aid and recently Ford’s Driver Alert and Forward Alert features have been honoured by the NCAP’s Advanced Rewards, which are not easily dished out. Manufactures must come up with new and innovative technologies to earn one and Ford is one of only two automakers to have more than three trophies.
“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,” said Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP general secretary.
Usually a feature reserved for high-end luxury vehicles, the Focus’s Driver Alert system monitors and can detect tired driver behavior. Advanced cameras and sensors observe a driver’s ‘awareness’ and the vehicle’s position relative to lane markings. If things become too erratic, the system will alert a driver with exponentially louder chimes and warnings. The Forward Alert system constantly scans the road ahead and primes the brakes just in case a sudden collision appears to be likely. At first, a warning will emit but if a driver is unable to respond in enough time, the Focus will activate the brakes. The system can be turned off and on.
Source: Ford
