Liberty TechTalk: Prevost Driver AssistTM & the Cutting Edge of Coach Safety
As a Liberty Coach owner, it goes without saying that you expect the best of everything. Luxury and convenience of course – but also quality and safety. Because your “home on the road” also moves on the road – at high speeds and often in heavy traffic – safety features are paramount. So for this installment of Liberty TechTalk, we’d like to take a closer look at the features that make our coaches the safest on the road.
The centerpiece is Prevost Driver AssistTM, a new system of electronic safety features which Prevost calls “the most advanced driver safety assistance suite in the motorcoach industry.” The system fully integrates the coach’s brakes, camera systems and radar, and is designed to work with drivers through cues, alerts and warnings, rather than immediately intervening with automated safety measures such as braking.
While Driver Assist is offered as an option by Prevost, the system is standard with every new Elegant Lady starting with the 2022 model year. Moreover, Liberty supplements the Prevost suite with a number of exclusive safety features of our own design. The result is a level of safety that puts Liberty Coach right where the luxury RV industry has come to expect. Miles ahead of the competition – again.
The major components of Prevost Driver Assist and related Liberty Coach safety features are detailed below.
Blind Spot Detection System (Liberty Coach exclusive) – Your coach may be your home on the road, but at 45’/14m long, that means it’s larger than most vehicles on the highway. The blind spot detection system automatically alerts the operator if a vehicle can’t be seen by mirrors or external cameras, using both visual and audio cues. Radar is employed to ensure safe operation regardless of the driving weather conditions, and provides complete coverage over the full length of both sides of the coach.
Bird’s Eye 365° Exterior View Camera System (Liberty Coach exclusive) – For extra peace of mind while driving, this vital safety feature permits monitoring your vehicle from any angle. This is convenient when driving in tight quarters, changing lanes, and parking.
Hitch Camera (Liberty Coach exclusive) – Brand new for 2022, Liberty’s hitch camera permits real-time monitoring of your trailer’s connection to the coach while driving or parking.
Heads Up Display (HUD) – An industry-first LED light-strip display is projected onto the windshield to alert the coach operator of any potential driving issues, including following distance alerts, or any moving or stationary vehicles in the path of your coach. Because of the HUD system, most visual alerts begin where the operator’s eyes already are – on the road ahead – rather than on the instrument cluster.
Front Collision Mitigation – A forward-facing camera is automatically engaged at speeds above 15 MPH/24 KPH. If a moving vehicle is detected in front of your coach, and it unexpectedly slows, the system will display an alert and sound an audible alert. If necessary, the system will automatically apply the service brakes to mitigate or prevent an impact. The system decelerates your coach up to twice as quickly as previous systems.
Stationary Vehicle Braking – This feature works similarly to the Front Collision Mitigation system, but also uses radar to identify stationary objects, which your coach will be approaching much more quickly. In addition to visual and audible warnings, the service brakes will automatically apply if needed to prevent or minimize a potential impact.
Adaptive Cruise Control – When cruise control is engaged, the forward radar system is used to monitor the following distance of a vehicle ahead of the coach for optimum speed management. If necessary, the system will reduce the throttle, engage the engine retarder and apply the service brakes to maintain a safe following distance. A following distance alert is engaged, both audibly and visually, if your coach is moving faster than 37 MPH/60 KPH and the following distance to the vehicle traveling ahead is reduced to 0.5 seconds.
Lane Departure Warning – A visual indicator in the gauge cluster, as well as an audible chime, alerts the driver if the coach is drifting out of its normal position in a traffic lane. It works for both single and multiple-lane roads and highways. The system automatically engages when the coach exceeds 37 MPH/60 KPH, but can be manually switched off for 15 minutes via a dashboard switch, to allow you to more easily navigate interchanges or highway exits.
For a complete overview of Prevost Driver Assist, download this brochure from Prevost. You can also contact our tech team with specific questions via email, or by phone at (800) 554-9877.
