Orange to develop remote-controlled collision systems to protect drivers from injury

Telecommunications company Orange, with the support of the federal government, will develop remote-controlled truck-mounted attenuators by mid-2026. This should prevent drivers from being injured when cars hit the attenuators, Het Nieuwsblad reports.

Truck-mounted attenuators act as mobile crash cushion systems intended to protect vehicles in construction zones in the event of a high-speed collision. However, the driver moving the attenuator is at risk of injury if a vehicle hits it.

A high-profile example happened earlier this month when Flemish VRT personality Tom Waes crashed his car into a truck-mounted attenuator close to the Kennedy Tunnel in Antwerp. Waes was seriously injured and the truck driver suffered minor injuries.

With the help of a grant from outgoing Telecommunications minister Petra De Sutter, Orange will develop remote-controlled truck-mounted attenuators by mid-2026. The idea is that these can be controlled remotely and prevent road workers from being injured.

The project will also be used to boost the use of 5G, high-speed mobile internet, in Belgium. The country's 5G rollout lags far behind the European average.

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