This Volvo truck’s sharp emergency braking system and alert driver saved a kid’s life

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It’s just unbelievable how close it was

A good braking system often makes the difference between a safe drive and catastrophe. Fortunately, the video you're about to watch is an example to follow as far as driver reaction and the quality of brakes go.

It goes without saying that articulated trucks have a tremendous inertia under braking, so they're very challenging to bring to a halt in emergency situations. However, in this particular case, the Volvo truck's brakes seem to defy the laws of physics, as the braking distance is incredibly short.

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The scenario is simple and, unfortunately, very well-known. A bus drops school kids off at a station, and then two of the children proceed to run across the road without checking both ways for traffic. Imagine driving the truck and suddenly see a running child in front of you.

Fortunately for the kid, the truck driver was alert and quickly stomped on the brakes. The boy was also lucky the truck was a Volvo FH Series equipped with an emergency braking system — just look at how the tractor bites the asphalt as it comes to a halt. Forget commercials — it's videos like this that help sell Volvo trucks.

While this Volvo FH truck excels at deceleration, check out "The Iron Knight," Volvo's insanely quick truck.