Citroen, For Outstanding Safety

PARIS - October 12, 2008: Tomorrow is European Road Safety Day. Citroën pursues an active policy in this area. At the Paris Motor Show, it is displaying the latest equipment and technologies developed for its vehicles to set higher safety standards for everybody.

Citroën has always focused on the safety not only of drivers and passengers, but also pedestrians. The main safety systems available on brand vehicles include:

Citroën Emergency - This service can save lives. Available on a 24/7 basis in eight European countries, Citroën Emergency puts the vehicle occupants in touch with a dedicated help desk. The service is designed to cope with all types of emergency (witness or victim of an assault or accident). This call can be made automatically, in the event of impact, or manually, by pressing and holding down the “SOS” button. If the driver is unable to explain exactly what is required, the vehicle is identified and located using the GPS and the emergency teams are sent out immediately, thus saving precious minutes. This service is available on many vehicles in the range: C4, C4 Picasso, Grand C4 Picasso, C-Crosser, C5, C6, C8 and Jumpy.

the Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) - This driving aid aims to prevent drowsiness at the wheel. When activated, the LDWS detects any lane changes not signalled by the indicator, on motorways or fast roads at speeds of over 80 kph. The driver is alerted by a vibrating mechanism mounted in the car seat on the side corresponding to the direction of vehicle drift, and can steer the car back on course. This system is available on the C4, C4 Picasso, Grand C4 Picasso, C5 and C6.

the multifunctional fixed-centred controls steering wheel - Standard on the C4, C4 Picasso, Grand C4 Picasso and C5, this steering wheel groups the essential driving functions. The fixed central hub houses a driver airbag designed always to deploy at the right angle for enhanced driver protection.

the active bonnet system - This system, available on the C6, considerably improves pedestrian protection. As a rule, the powertrain takes up considerable space in the engine compartment, leaving little room between the engine and the bonnet. With the active bonnet system, based on an impact sensor and pyrotechnic mechanism, the bonnet rises 65 mm in 40 milliseconds. A second mechanism maintains the bonnet in its raised position despite the impact and thus absorbs impact energy.