Regulatory News:
Approximately forty percent of the thousands of pedestrians that die
every year and 25% of the severe pedestrian injuries could be avoided if
cars had pedestrian detection systems with automatic braking. This
indicates a scientific paper which Autoliv Inc. (STO:ALIV)(NYSE:ALV) –
the worldwide leader in automotive safety – presented today at the
international conference Enhanced Safety of Vehicle (ESV) in Stuttgart,
Germany.
Approximately half of the fatally and one third of the severely injured
pedestrians are visible to the driver prior to impact but the driver
does not brake or only brakes marginally, according to German accident
data (GIDAS). Consequently, a pedestrian detection system that would
autonomously activate the vehicle brakes one second prior to predicted
impact, would have the potential to reduce pedestrian fatalities and
injuries. Such a system would, according to the study, reduce the impact
speed by 41% and completely eliminate 15% of pedestrian accidents. If
these findings can be extended beyond German accident data, a potential
reduction exists of almost 1500 pedestrian fatalities out of the total
3683 pedestrian fatalities during 2007 in the EU-14 countries according
ERSO (European Road Safety Observatory).
Another contribution of an autonomous braking system is that the impact
speed can also be reduced in those cases where the driver activates the
brakes as the duration of the braking can be doubled to 1.4 seconds.
Various restrictions will limit the effectiveness in real-life traffic,
but the results highlight the large potential to reduce fatal and severe
pedestrian injuries with an autonomous braking system.
The autonomous braking system consists of an extension of the brake
assist system that would autonomously activate the vehicles brakes when
a signal is provided by a sensor system. Such a sensor could be based on
the infrared technology that Autoliv developed for the night vision
system of the new BMW 7-series. The system gives the driver a warning to
provide him or her approximately four seconds to react when the
pedestrian is at risk of being hit or is entering the risk-zone. The new
ESV-paper highlights the substantial benefits further development of
this technology could bring.
- “We see a great potential in our infrared-recognition system not only
for making driving at night safer and more comfortable but also as a key
component in a future pedestrian protection system”, said Steve Fredin,
Autoliv’s Vice President Engineering.
- “With more applications the volumes will rise which will rend the
current relatively expensive infrared technology more affordable, making
the technology available for ever more vehicle buyers”, concluded Steve
Fredin.
Autoliv Inc., the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems,
develops and manufactures automotive safety systems for all major
automotive manufacturers in the world. Together with its joint ventures,
Autoliv has 80 facilities with approximately 34,000 employees in 31
countries. In addition, the Company has technical centers in eleven
countries around the world, with 21 test tracks, more than any other
automotive safety supplier. Sales in 2008 amounted to US $6.5 billion.
The Company's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE:ALV) and its Swedish Depository Receipts on the OMX Nordic
Exchange in Stockholm (ALIVsdb).
This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com
Autoliv Inc.
Steve Fredin, VP Engineering
Tel +46-8-587 20 679
or
Henrik
Kaar, Director Corporate Communications
Tel +46-(8) 587 20 614
