DETROIT, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The automotive industry is well on its
way to combining passive and active safety systems, thanks to companies such
as TRW Automotive. By the end of this decade, these integrated safety and
driver-assist technologies will begin to drive dramatic improvements in
vehicle safety, comfort and convenience, according to John C. Plant, president
and chief executive officer for TRW Automotive.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010824/TRWLOGO )
Plant's comments came in a keynote speech -- titled: "The Safety
Revolution: Bringing It All Together"-- given today in the SAE Technology
Theater during the SAE 2003 World Congress at Cobo Center in Detroit.
By linking active safety systems that can help prevent accidents -- such
as active roll control, vehicle stability control and brake assist -- with
passive systems that help to protect occupants during accidents -- such as
seat belt retractors, air bags and rollover canopies -- automakers and their
safety system suppliers can drive a safety revolution in the next several
years, according to Plant. But, he said, making this vision a reality
requires a coordinated effort among the suppliers, vehicle manufacturers,
government and the buying public.
All these constituencies need to work together in the spirit of
cooperation, focusing on the largest safety issues, to drive vehicle safety to
the next level, Plant said.
Plant said that each participant in the safety equation has a role to
play:
* Suppliers are called to ensure that new safety technologies are
effective, reliable, high quality and, most importantly, affordable;
* Vehicle manufacturers, who already face tremendous pricing pressure,
will likely add new safety system content in large volumes only when consumers
place value in such systems;
* The buying public needs a greater awareness of what safety systems are
-- or will be -- available, what the benefits will be and, in many cases, how
to use the systems; and
* Government officials need more education regarding these safety
systems, the societal issues that can help to drive safety legislation and the
actual root causes of many traffic fatalities and injuries.
While the adoption of new technologies can have a significant impact on
safety, it is just as important to address the two biggest automotive safety
issues: seat belt usage and driver impairment, Plant said.
"TRW and others in the industry have developed, and continue to work on,
technologies that can help mitigate collisions and rollover propensity, as
well as enhance occupant protection," Plant said. "But no matter how much
technology you give the driver to assist with vehicle control, or how much
passive protection you give the occupant, unless they properly use the
equipment in a safe and sober manner, we will continue to fight an uphill
battle."
"In the end, the safety and welfare of anyone who steps into a vehicle
anywhere on the world's roadways is something we all can -- and must -- agree
upon," he said.
TRW Automotive's sales place it eighth largest among the world's
automotive suppliers. Now the seventh largest firm headquartered in the
Detroit Metropolitan area, the company employs approximately 64,000 people in
22 countries.
TRW Automotive is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA. Its products
include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems,
steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and
airbags), electronics, engine valves, fastening systems and aftermarket
replacement parts. TRW Automotive news is available on the Internet at
http://www.trwauto.com .
SOURCE TRW Automotive
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Related links:
http://www.trwauto.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010824/TRWLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
CONTACT:
Manley Ford, +1-734-266-2616, or John
Wilkerson, +1-734-266-3864, both of TRW USA; or Ilke Kaufmann of
TRW Europe, +49-211-584-557
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