Making Vehicles Safer for Pedestrians

WOLVERHAMPTON, England, February 26 -- Concept Mouldings is seeking for technology partners to assist in the development of active and passive pedestrian safety systems at the European Automotive Design roadshow.

The company specialises in creative engineering solutions for the automotive industry (OEM) and has developed a revolutionary energy absorbing Frontal Protection System (FPS) for vehicles, which makes them up to 50 times safer in the event of a front end collision with pedestrians and cyclists.

For over 15 years, Concept Mouldings has successfully serviced the automotive industry, manufacturing and supplying vehicle mouldings and accessories. Concept Mouldings has supplied Land Rover, with Frontal Protection Systems (FPS) on models such as the Land Rover P38A Range Rover since 1993.

The revolutionary Endura FPS is the natural successor to "bull bars" but instead of making vehicles more dangerous, they make them safer. The composite materials used absorb energy and protect pedestrians from hard parts at the front of vehicles, such as the bonnet leading edge, radiator and engine, whilst still offering protection to the vehicle in an impact situation.

Concept Mouldings currently offer an aftermarket product which is an immediate solution for vehicle owners who want to make their vehicles safer. But the company now sees that its products could also become integrated into some vehicle designs within the next few years. The company holds world patents and patents pending on a number of such integrated solutions and is actively seeking joint ventures with research, technology and manufacturing partners to assist in integrating passive and active pedestrian safety solutions.

Such solutions would move the Endura FPS to active pre-collision positions and integrate with simultaneously deploying airbags, to protect the pedestrian from the vehicle windscreen and also reduce the risk of pedestrians being forced under the wheels of a vehicle.

A number of current vehicle designs already have moulded fronts so all or parts of the system outlined could be incorporated easily and quickly with no change to the external appearance of the vehicle.

Testing on a wide range of vehicles (including those made as far back as 1991) has shown impressive results for a reduced risk of injury to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

In line with EU legislation, Endura technology reduces the risk of head injury from over 97 per cent in the worst case down to less than 2 per cent. Risk of injury to the pelvic and abdomen, upper leg and lower leg is also substantially reduced.

"If an Endura's energy absorbing FPS technology was widely adopted and integrated into vehicle design across Europe, vehicles would improve their EuroNCAP scores", claims Ian Finney, Managing Director of Concept Mouldings.