Prince Michael Of Kent Sees Latest Active Safety Technology

DENHAM, United Kingdom – January 21, 2009: HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the patron of RoadSafe, paid a visit to the Bosch test facility at Boxberg in Germany with Bosch Automotive OE’s UK managing director Hermann Kaess, to see the latest work being undertaken by the company in the area of vehicle safety. Bosch is acknowledged as being at the forefront of the work developing active and passive safety systems and invented one of the most important vehicle safety technologies of the century, ESP (Electronic Stability Program).

Prince Michael is a powerful advocate and supporter of road safety and is keenly interested in vehicle developments that have the capability to reduce death and injury on the road. The Prince was able to experience first hand some of the latest vehicle safety technologies being developed by Bosch and systems that will be fitted to cars in the coming years. These included the latest active braking systems, adaptive cruise control, night vision as well as the most recent extensions to ESP®, also known as ESC (Electronic Stability Control).

The Prince was also briefed by the head of Bosch Chassis Systems Dr Werner Struth and head of marketing communications, promotion Sandra Pastore on the current situation across the globe on the up-take and fitment of active safety systems. It is a disappointing fact that many small cars sold across Europe do not standard fit ESC and the UK lags behind many European countries, the installation rate in the UK is 56% compared with Germany 81% and Sweden at 97%. The Prince has gone on record urging individuals and particularly companies to specify ESC when buying a new car.

The Prince also visited the Bosch Chassis Systems facility at Abstatt also the location of Bosch Engineering Group, close to Stuttgart where the company undertakes engineering and development work for leading car companies from around the world.

The Prince’s visit to Germany was followed closely by the news that Bosch has gained another major European road safety award. The eSafety Forum’s “Saving Lives Award” recognises outstanding achievements in promoting eSafety systems in Europe. The European Commissioner for the Information Society and Media, Ms Viviane Redding presented Bosch with the 2008 Industry & Technology Award for the company’s efforts to make cars safer and for their outstanding achievements based on a focused marketing and communications strategy to accelerate the deployment in the European market of eSafety technology ESC.

During his visit to Germany Prince Michael also met Dr Bernd Bohr, member of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH who thanked the Prince for giving the company two of his International Road Safety Awards and a commendation for ESP. Commenting on the latest eSafety Forum award Dr Bohr said, “ESP is a prime example of how safety technologies can help and support drivers in critical driving situations. But the invention of a life-saving technology alone is only the first step. Greater awareness among car buyers to understand the benefits of safety technologies is paramount to make an informed choice”.