Goal is to reduce crashes, mitigate injuries by providing a cocoon of safety
WASHINGTON, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In a presentation at ESV 2005 in
Washington, D.C. today, Continental Automotive Systems, North America, Chief
Engineer Phil Headley told an audience of motor vehicle engineers from around
the world that the technology to vastly improve vehicle safety is close at
hand.
Speaking about Continental's total vehicle safety concept, Headley said,
"Technology necessary for helping make driving accident-free -- or for
substantially reducing the incidence of crashes and injuries -- is here. At
Continental we call it Active-Passive Integration and it helps provide a
comprehensive approach to vehicle safety, 'total safety' as the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls it, whereby you treat the
vehicle, driver and environment as a total system," Headley said.
"We are in the midst of a revolution in smart vehicle safety technologies.
Improved sensors, processors and general electronic capabilities lead to a
wide range of possibilities to fight the causes of crashes," he said.
Headley pointed out that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death
and serious injury in multiple age groups and driver error is the most
significant factor in many of these crashes. As a result, drivers need tools
to avoid critical situations in daily traffic and help prevent crashes. NHTSA
recently called for a greater emphasis on crash avoidance to drive fatality
and injury rates down.
"Continental applauds NHTSA's leadership because preventing crashes should
be the first goal of motor vehicle safety efforts. We were the leader in
introducing Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to the mass market and are
working with NHTSA, other safety groups and our auto manufacturer customers to
make sure consumers understand that ESC is 'must have' safety equipment for
the next vehicle they purchase," Headley said.
He explained that ESC is a major factor behind NHTSA's support of crash
avoidance. Tests conducted by NHTSA show that ESC reduced single vehicle
crashes in passenger cars by 35 percent and single vehicle SUV crashes by 67
percent. Evaluating only fatal crashes, ESC was associated with a 30 percent
reduction for passenger cars and 63 percent for SUVs.
Tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that
"Equipping cars and SUVs with electronic stability control (ESC) can reduce
the risk of involvement in these [single vehicle] crashes by more than 50
percent." The Institute concluded that ESC has the potential to save more
than 7,000 lives a year.
Continental, a major supplier of ESC and other safety technology showcased
in the ESV 2005 Conference exhibit hall that it is already taking crash
avoidance to the next level by displaying its total vehicle safety approach to
avoiding crashes and mitigating injuries. The car on display combines active
and passive technologies, offering a concept for making vehicles virtual
safety cocoons that provide drivers the tools to more effectively manage the
vehicle by detecting obstacles in the front, rear or sides of the vehicle and
recommending action.
"Our goal is to apply proactive technology to help prevent crashes from
happening and mitigate injuries, as part of an integrated, comprehensive
assistance system that will provide the driver and occupants with the best
possible support," said Headley.
The vehicle is Continental's "anticipatory" car of the future that
networks active and passive safety systems and integrates area sensors to help
the driver avoid crashes and give vehicle occupants maximum protection. The
car, using microelectronics, gathers data, synthesizes it, activates and
controls electronic reflexes to assist the driver.
"Tests using the total vehicle safety concept show we could achieve a 15
percent reduction in stopping distance alone by using sensors integrated with
the brakes. NHTSA estimates that 1.1 million or 17 percent of crashes could
be prevented annually if all vehicles were equipped with just rear-end,
roadway departure and lane change technology. That research was conducted in
the mid-1990s, prior to many of the new technologies coming on the market
today. Just imagine what we can do by adding ESC and integrating these
technologies with the passive technologies on the vehicle for even greater
effect," Headley said.
He explained that total vehicle safety offers real world solutions in
those areas of traffic safety where they are needed most. It seeks to
aggressively help reduce crashes and push toward the Department of
Transportation's goal of 1.0 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles by 2008.
With 2004 sales of approximately $15 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. For additional
information, visit these websites: http://www.conti-online.com and
http://www.contitevesna.com .
SOURCE Continental Automotive Systems
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Related links:
http://www.conti-online.com
http://www.contitevesna.com
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, cell: +1-248-882-6309,
jim.gill@usa.contiteves.com
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