Roll over mitigation. Great technology, but really a fancy (and condensed) way of saying “technology to stop your van from rolling over”!
It does come under several other coined phrases, but they all essentially describe the same process. These include:
- Active Rollover Protection
- Electronic Stability Control
- Roll Over Protection System
How Does It Work?
Roll over mitigation technology constantly monitors your vehicle’s handling behaviour using ESP sensors. If it detects anything that may result in the vehicle potentially rolling over, it will then control the braking and driving forces on individual wheels to control the situation and stailise the vehicle.
How Well Does It Work?
There have been speculations as to how well these features work when applied in a real test (aka a ‘moose test’). This is where the technology is applied to a vehicle and the driver goes down a test track, swerving, braking and changing lane sharply at speed to avoid collision with an immediate obstacle.
Some vehicles do perform better than others – results do show that this feature certainly does help across all models of car/van/HGV, and can be used in conjunction with other safety features such as Trailer Sway Control systems to prevent accidents. However, it should never be considered as a suitable alternative to driving safely, or selecting an inherently more safety conscious vehicle from the beginning.
Check Out Teknikens Värld’s Jeep Cherokee “moose test” on YouTube, which illustrates the massive difference of this technology between manufacturers.
Looking for more info on other safety systems? Check out our Technology category on our blog for more posts!