Driver Assistance Systems Can Help Cut the Accident Toll According to Bosch

DUBLIN, Ireland--Nov. 2, 20054, 2005--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28156) has announced the addition of Global market review of driver assistance (collision avoidance) systems - forecasts to 2011 to their offering.

Recent research shows that six out of ten front-end crashes would not occur if the driver could react a split second earlier. Driver assistance systems can help cut the accident toll. According to Bosch, these systems aim to make the vehicle capable of perceiving its surroundings, interpret them, identify critical situations, and assist the driver in performing driving manoeuvres. The object is, at best, to prevent accidents completely and, at worst, to minimise the consequences of an accident for those concerned.

The European Commission estimates that the 1.3m road accidents per year in Europe cause 1.7m injuries and 40,000 fatalities at an estimated cost of EUR 160bn. The EC has therefore established its eSafety programme, which aims to halve the number of deaths from traffic accidents by 2010. "Driver Assistance Systems, however, are still in their infancy with not many cars equipped with it. Therefore they can only make a contribution toward meeting this goal. However, we see that increasing fitment of ESP (electronic stability programme) will make an even bigger contribution to cutting the number of fatalities on European roads," said Dr Rainer Kallenbach, executive vice president for Boschs automotive electronics division, in an exclusive interview.

In addition to Bosch, Continental Teves, TRW Automotive, Hella, Iteris, Valeo, Delphi, Siemens VDO and Visteon are among those investing huge amounts to developing driver assistance, pushing back the technical boundaries.

In this second edition report, it extends the analysis to provide detailed market volume and value forecasts through to 2011 for three primary driver assistance technologies: adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and parking aid systems. Also there is a review of some of the driver assistance innovations and main issues facing manufacturers serving this blossoming market, including:

What are these technologies?

When will they be phased in?

What has been the market acceptance of ACC to date?

Can and should we rely on these systems?

Who would be liable if the technology failed: the driver or the vehicle maker/OEM supplier(s)?

Who is leading the effort?

What challenges do these players face?

How does the adoption of these technologies differ in Europe from Japan? Are they similar or worlds apart?

Are consumers ready to partly relinquish responsibility for driving control to an unfamiliar system?

Flashing lights and video screens on the dashboard and audible bleeps from the cars loud speakers all suggest distracting the driver too much. What is the best solution?

Does the fact that such active safety systems appear on a new car options list, make it difficult to sell in the showroom?

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28156.