The Front Assist is a collision-alert safety system. Faced with an unavoidable collision, it applies the brakes to minimise the consequences. It also performs an emergency stop if a pedestrian or cyclist attempts to cross the path of the car. The system also registers pedestrians and cyclists travelling in the same direction as the car and, in relation to these road users, uses the same warning and braking process as that applied to vehicles ahead.

In a critical situation, where Front Assist intervenes by braking and the driver indicates they are taking evasive action by the way they move the steering wheel, Collision Avoidance Assist makes targeted interventions in the steering to help drive around the obstacle.

Turn Assist, supplied as part of Front Assist, is designed to monitor an oncoming vehicle when you are turning left (in a left-hand drive), for example when you are at a junction. If there is an immediate danger, it brings the vehicle to a complete standstill and triggers the warning signal.

Thanks to radar sensors at the rear of the car, the Side Assist detects vehicles approaching from behind or that are in the car’s blind spot. The driver is informed of this using an LED signal on the inside of the wing mirror housings. Side Assist can detect vehicles up to 70 m away and thus also effectively warns the driver of hazardous situations on motorways and dual carriageways.

This safety feature is another of Side Assist’s complementary functions. Exit Warning visually and acoustically warns the driver and other passengers, when, for example, they are exiting parallel parked car, if opening the door could result in a collision with another vehicle, a cyclist, an electric scooter or a jogger. Exit Warning makes use of Side Assist’s rear radars and monitors area behind and along the sides of the car up to a distance of 35 m.

The system pre-tensions the front seat belts in the event of imminent collision or in unstable driving situations when the ESC engaged and closes the side windows almost fully in order to prevent foreign objects from entering the vehicle. The system works with the front and rear radars.

If an Octavia is involved in an accident and the airbags are activated, it could remain in motion and cause another accident, which is where the Multi-Collision Brake comes in, bringing the vehicle to a standstill to prevent a pile-up.

This system monitors drivers’ behaviour and assesses how tired they are using inputs from various vehicle control units. At speeds above 65 km/h, the system detects deviations from normal driving and continuously assesses drivers’ driving behaviour in order to judge their current fitness to drive. If the system detects driver fatigue, a warning tone sounds and a warning message is also displayed in Virtual Cockpit.