As well as topping the Italian sales charts for hybrid cars in the first half of the year according to Unrae, Puma Hybrid, Ford's compact crossover, also earned 5 stars from the independent Euro Ncap crash-test authority. Ford Puma achieved the highest scores for the protection of adult and child occupants, both in the side-impact test and in the so-called "pole" test. The excellent result was determined by the many life-saving Adas technologies on board, such as the emergency braking system "which performed very well during low-speed tests, a situation in which many whiplash injuries occur, avoiding collisions or mitigating their effects in all test scenarios", as a Euro Ncap note on the test results makes clear.

Adas, how driver assistance systems work

But what are the most important technologies — the ones that in many cases determine the safety of those on board, as well as of pedestrians and cyclists, notoriously the most vulnerable and defenceless road users? Let us find out by looking at the situation on board the Ford Puma, where these technologies are identified by the Co-Pilot system. First of all, for advanced driver assistance systems (Adas, Advanced driver assistance systems) to function, certain indispensable tools are required; the Puma is equipped with 3 radars, 2 cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors, which have the task of transmitting data and information to the assistance systems. An alarming finding from a recent American study reveals that 30 per cent of drivers surveyed admit to manually disabling these systems, thus forgoing the important contribution they can make to road safety.

Now let's look at what each individual technology is and how it works:

• Adaptive cruise control: supports the car in maintaining a safe distance from vehicles ahead and reduces stress on long journeys; it operates right down to a complete stop or restart (for pauses of less than 3 seconds).
• Speed sign recognition: together with the cruise control, it keeps speed within limits by monitoring road signs and data shared by the sat-nav.
• Lane centring: helps keep the vehicle centred in its lane.
• Local hazard information: alerts the driver to any dangerous situations on the road ahead, even when an incident is not visible due to a bend or the presence of other vehicles. Real-time hazard warning notifications are provided based on data from local authorities, emergency services and driving data from other vehicles.

• Rear view camera: a rear camera providing 180-degree visibility, so that pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles can be seen more easily when reversing out of car parks or driveways.
• Blind spot information system and cross traffic alert: alerts the driver when other vehicles are approaching from the sides in the blind spot and, should the driver fail to respond to the warnings, can apply the brakes to avoid or reduce the consequences of a potential collision.
• Active park assist: assists with parking, enabling fully automated manoeuvres both in parallel and perpendicular bays, identifying suitable spaces.
• Auto high beam: automatic high beams that modulate the light beam by switching to dipped headlights when necessary, improving night-time driving.
• Lane keeping with Road edge detection: capable of recognising any changes in the road surface — from tarmac to a rough surface, for example, such as a grassy verge or gravel. The system can reduce possible loss of grip caused by these events.
• Pre collision assist with Pedestrian detection: capable of detecting pedestrians on the road or who may be crossing into the vehicle's path. In the event of a potential collision and no response from the driver, the system automatically applies the brakes.
• Evasive steering assist: using a radar and a camera, it helps avoid collisions caused by slow-moving or unexpectedly stationary vehicles on the road.
• Wrong way alert: the wrong-way driving warning system uses a camera mounted on the windscreen and draws on information from the vehicle's navigation system, alerting the driver to stop or reverse direction should they be travelling the wrong way down a one-way street or an access ramp.