Terror threat

Trucks as weapons - hard to stop

After the terror attack at a Christmas market in Berlin, many people were asking themselves if sensitive in-vehicle security systems could not prevent such catastrophes.

Now, it appears, the security features in the truck did indeed prevent the worst from happening. A joint investigation  of the German public broadcasters NDR and WDR, together with the daily "Süddeutsche Zeitung" came to the conclusion that the trucks automatic breaks stopped the attacker from killing many more people.

The incident showed that, in principle, it is possible to use a truck or a car as a weapon and to kill people. But it also revealed that active security systems pay off: They work, and they can save lives.