Continental Showcases Total Vehicle Safety Concept

Goal is to reduce crashes, mitigate injuries by providing a cocoon of safety

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- 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/ .

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