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Bosch brake assist will save pedestrians as well as motorists
publication date: Dec 12, 2009
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author/source: Robin Roberts
 | | Since November 24, 2009, brake assist systems have
become mandatory for all newly launched car and light commercial
vehicle types in the EU.
The regulation will apply to all new vehicles from February 24, 2011.
These requirements are part of a new EU regulation that aims to improve
pedestrian safety. The brake assist supports drivers in emergency
braking situations.
If the driver brakes suddenly, the system assumes that there is an
emergency situation. It then rapidly increases braking pressure, thus
increasing deceleration. This reduces the braking distance and helps
prevent collisions.
According to EU studies, up to 1,100 fatal accidents involving
pedestrians could be prevented in Europe each year if all cars were
equipped with braking assistance systems.
The industry is already working to develop predictive systems that will
be able to detect traffic ahead of the vehicle via additional radar
sensors and, in some cases, video sensors. "In the future, emergency
braking systems will be able to interpret the traffic situation and
offer drivers intelligent braking support," says Dr. Werner Struth,
president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division.
"In the years to come, these systems will be featured in a growing
number of vehicle models. In 2010, a Bosch system is set to go into
series production for the first time at Audi.”
Braking assistance systems not only reduce the risk of injury for
pedestrians, they also help prevent rear-end collisions. Bosch analyses
of the GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study) database show that in
rear-end collisions resulting in injury in Germany, a third of drivers
did not hit the brakes at all before the collision, and half of them
did not use the car's full braking capacity.
The Bosch predictive emergency braking system provides drivers support
on three levels. The system’s collision warning function detects
potential obstacles and warns the driver - first with an acoustic or
visual warning, then by briefly jerking the brakes.
If the driver then reacts and hits the brakes, the system uses the
emergency braking assistant to increase braking pressure so that the
car does not hit the obstacle.
However, if the driver does not respond and a collision can no longer
be avoided, the system brakes at maximum force shortly before impact. A
Bosch study of the GIDAS data shows that a predictive emergency braking
system could prevent almost three out of four rear-end collisions
resulting in injury.
The EU directive to improve “protection of pedestrians and other
vulnerable road users” will not only make brake assist systems
mandatory, it also foresees stricter regulations with regard to
additional bumpers and frontal protection systems.
The aim is to reduce the risk of injury for accidents involving
pedestrians and cyclists. Improving traffic safety is also the aim of
another directive which has been in effect since August 2009. Step by
step, it will make the ESP® system mandatory for all vehicles by
November 2014.
From November 2015 commercial vehicles will also have to be equipped
with advanced emergency braking systems as well as lane departure
warning systems. |
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