Applying proactive integrated technology
can reduce crashes and mitigate injuries
TROY, Mich., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In a presentation at the WWJ
Business Breakfast today, Continental Automotive Systems, North America,
President and CEO Bill Kozyra said that the auto industry is in the midst of a
safety revolution and presented Continental's vision of how the development of
active safety technology will help save lives.
Kozyra said that a new generation of technology through improved sensors,
processors and general electronic capabilities are giving drivers the ability
to avoid critical situations in everyday traffic. "Managing the seconds
before a crash is THE target of opportunity in motor vehicle safety," said
Kozyra. "The future will be an advanced combination of active and passive
safety."
Kozyra outlined Continental's goal of applying proactive technology
through an integrated, comprehensive assistance system to provide drivers and
occupants with the best possible support and help prevent the occurrence of
crashes and mitigate injuries. This vision is demonstrated in Continental's
total vehicle safety concept. "The integration of active and passive safety
into a total safety approach advocated by NHTSA will address those areas of
the traffic safety picture where significant gains can be made with real world
solutions," Kozyra said.
The total vehicle safety concept uses Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
as the foundation with its credibility in the market providing the opportunity
to add more "intelligence." "NHTSA recently found ESC reduces single vehicle
crashes in passenger cars by 35 percent and in SUVs by 67 percent," said
Kozyra. "NHTSA was stunned by the results of their own study and I'm
paraphrasing, but Dr. Runge called ESC 'the best thing since seatbelts!'"
Other studies have reached similar conclusions. Kozyra applauded the efforts
of several automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chrysler,
and GM to make ESC a standard feature on many or all of their vehicles in the
coming years.
"The capabilities of electronic stability control and the power of
electronics and software allow for the addition of new functions and the
integration of those functions so they operate as a total system," said
Kozyra. "These new functions offer the driver new tools to address the
problem with fatalities caused by rollovers, rear-end and side collisions,
lane departure, and off-the-road crashes." One study found that 17 percent of
crashes could be prevented if vehicles were equipped with crash avoidance
systems that helped overcome driver error in these instances.
Continental, a major supplier of ESC, is using technology to help reach
the Department of Transportation's goal of reducing fatalities to 1.0 per 100
million vehicle miles traveled by 2008. Combining the success of ESC with the
benefits of other crash avoidance systems and integrating the protection of
passive safety technology into a total safety system, Continental can create a
virtual safety cocoon for drivers and occupants.
Continental has already taken this approach to the next level. For the
past several months, Continental has been demonstrating a vehicle with
customers that shows this concept in real life driving situations. "A vehicle
that, like a human body, has a central computer that gathers data, synthesizes
it, activates and controls the electronic reflexes," explained Kozyra. "Tests
of a vehicle equipped with total vehicle safety technology showed we could
achieve a 15 percent reduction in braking distance by using area sensors
integrated with the brakes."
"The goal of 1.0 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled is a
bold and courageous move, one drawn with confidence in the methodology needed
to achieve it," Kozyra concluded. "Our challenge will be to link the
information generated both by existing systems and those yet to come, put them
to the task of saving lives and convince consumers of their value."
Kozyra appeared on a panel that included Brian O'Neill, President of the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Robert Lange of General Motors, and
Automotive/Engineering Consultant Dave McLellan.
With 2004 sales of approximately $15.6 billion (US), Continental AG is a
major supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics,
tires and technical rubber products. Continental Automotive Systems' North
American operation is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich. and is a leading
global supplier of quality automotive systems that contribute to driver
safety, comfort and peace-of-mind. For additional information, visit our
media website http://www.contitevesna.com/index2.htm .
SOURCE Continental Automotive Systems
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Related links:
http://www.conti-online.com
http://www.contitevesna.com
http://www.contitevesna.com/index2.htm
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/437525.html
CONTACT:
Jim Gill, M.S., APR of Continental Automotive
Systems, +1-248-393-5210, +1-248-882-6309 (cell),
jim.gill@usa.contiteves.com
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