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 buses 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 DefenderII radar system.