Skip to main content
MECHANICAL & AUTO ELECTRICAL SPECIALISTS
PHONE 06 359 0100

Anti-Rollaway Brake System


Automatic action for greater safety.

For commercial vehicles to provide insurance against driver oversight.


The MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System™ provides an active safety solution in the event of a driver neglecting to fully apply the park brake before leaving their vehicle, reducing a major safety risk of heavy vehicles – a rollaway vehicle. Available for both pneumatic, mechanical and electric park brake type vehicles, the MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System is perfect for commercial vehicles of all kinds.

HOW IT WORKS

The MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System provides early pre-warnings of potential danger to the driver and any people in the vicinity of the vehicle.

It does this through four core functions:

1. MONITORING

A state-of-the-art microprocessor continuously monitors multiple inputs to determine the possibility of the vehicle rolling away. Inputs include:

Anti-RollawayWhen the vehicle is at low speed, the park brake is monitored to ensure that it is FULLY applied – a dedicated lever position sensor is installed to test for this condition. In mechanical type park brake systems, the original park brake switch will activate even if the park brake lever has only just been slightly applied and delivers a negligible braking effectiveness.

2. ACTIVATION

If the driver leaves the cabin without fully applying the parking brake, the MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System activates immediately to prevent the vehicle from rolling away – creating a safe environment – and activates warnings in the process.

3. WARNING

The System includes 3 types of warnings.

  • Visual LCD or LED display unit
  • An audible alarm within the vehicle
  • An external horn or siren, to warn people outside the vehicle who could potentially be in harm’s way

The system monitors if the door is opened, when someone may be exiting the vehicle. If this is detected, the MAX-SAFE brake is not automatically applied, but the MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System sounds a warning. If the driver leaves his seat and exits the vehicle, the MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System activates immediately; sounding an external horn with a solid ongoing alarm; turning the warning LED on, and continuously sounding the internal buzzer – the park brakes are then applied, and the vehicle is prevented from rolling away. The external warnings alert the driver and other people near the vehicle.

4. DIAGNOSTICS

The unit also has in-built self-diagnostics, constantly checking multiple parameters to ensure the integrity of the system and alert if any faults are detected.

BENEFITS

  • Safety of personnel around the vehicle.
  • Protection of the vehicle and equipment.
  • Insurance against driver oversight.
  • Continuous monitoring of multiple conditions.
  • Both visual alerts and audible warnings*.
  • Intelligent logic with self-checking to ensure system integrity.
  • ADR compliant solution.
  • Queensland Government Approved (TA.0222 and TA.034).
  • Combine with REVERSE WATCH module (Recommended) for additional safety.

The MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System is not designed to replace a traditional park brake, which remains the responsibility of the driver to secure before exiting, but the Max-Safe Anti-Rollaway Brake System provides insurance against driver oversight.

*Systems that only utilise warnings (audible/visual) to alert the driver leave the vehicle in an unsafe state.

WHY IS THIS SOLUTION NEEDED?

AN ACTIVE SAFETY DEVICE THAT TAKES AUTOMATIC ACTION WHEN DRIVERS FORGET.

The MAX-SAFE Anti-Rollaway Brake System™ provides an active safety solution in the event of a driver neglecting to fully apply the park brake before leaving their vehicle.

It’s easy to forget to apply a park brake, and with the added chaos of deliveries, schedules, unfamiliar locations, darkness, and tiredness, this only increases the chance. A distracted driver at the end of their shift is at the highest risk of being forgetful – leading to mistakes – which can ultimately lead to injury or even death.

Alarmingly there are rollaway incidents nearly every week in Australia and New Zealand.

First introduced in 2000, the solution is installed on over 15,000 vehicles across Australia and New Zealand, largely in the waste management, utilities and concreting sectors. In 2020, Transport for NSW recommended Rollaway Emergency Brake Systems as a key Crash Avoidance Technology for Heavy Vehicles.

Discover how the MAX-SAfE Anti-Rollaway Brake System™ has helped Connetics in New Zealand.