Continental actively committed to Vision Zero
- As partners to the global “Stop the Crash” campaign, Continental’s Chassis & Safety and Tire divisions are supporting the drive for greater road safety and fewer road fatalities
- Multiple driver assistance systems designed to help prevent accidents in the long term
- Cooperation with ADAC as “Safer driving partner” aims to boost awareness of the safety enhancement role of accident prevention systems
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, 18 July 2017 – Since early 2016, Continental’s Chassis & Safety and Tire divisions have been partnering with the “Stop the Crash” campaign initiated by Global NCAP.
The aim of this collaboration is to raise awareness among political decision-makers, fleet managers, journalists (and ultimately drivers too, of course) of the role driver assistance systems such as ESC, Emergency Brake Assist and motorcycle ABS play in attaining greater safety.
On the tyre front, Continental is simultaneously highlighting the importance of sufficient tread depth and correct tyre pressures, particularly in emerging economies where vehicle equipment levels with advanced accident prevention systems are much lower than in Europe, the USA or Japan, for example. The aim of the campaign led by Global NCAP is to leverage the full potential for greater road safety and fewer fatalities on the roads.
Continental set out to make the idea behind Vision Zero a tangible experience for drivers in Europe and Germany as well. With this in mind, the technology company has entered into a long-term collaboration with Germany’s largest automobile association, ADAC, targeting safer driving.
“Tyres are the only point of contact with the road. They have to transfer all the dynamic forces to the road via a footprint roughly the size of a postcard,” explains Nikolai Setzer, a member of the Executive Board of Continental AG responsible for Corporate Purchasing and head of the Tire division.
“In critical situations, it is the level of technology in the tyre that ultimately determines whether the vehicle can stop in time – or stay safely on course when cornering.”
Continental’s decade-long focus on maximum safety through tyres that offer the shortest braking distances is geared toward Vision Zero in the long term. “Together with our Chassis & Safety division we are aiming to illustrate in concrete terms the contribution that advanced driver assistance systems such as ESC, AEB and motorcycle ABS can make to greater road safety in conjunction with our Continental brand premium tyres with their excellent braking performance – a contribution we strive to drive forward every day,” Setzer continues.
At the Continental TechShow 2017, Continental’s Tire Division presented the brand’s two current premium summer tyres, the SportContact 6 for sporty, high-performance cars and the PremiumContact 6 for mid-range and luxury cars.
Both deliver maximum braking performance and maximum grip, together with numerous other characteristics in a balanced blend at the peak of tyre technology. A large number of test wins and top marks in summer tyre tests conducted by the leading international magazines and automobile clubs provide impressive proof of their capabilities.
The increasing presence of accident prevention technologies in the vehicles on European roads has already led to a marked reduction in road fatalities since the 1970s, despite a clear increase in overall traffic levels. However, efforts will have to be further intensified if the EU’s goal of cutting the number of road deaths by 50 percent by 2020, compared to a 2010 baseline, is to be achieved in practice.
From Continental’s viewpoint, the simple fact of equipping far more vehicles with the above driver assistance systems, along with the use of premium tyres with adequate tread depth and regular monitoring of tyre pressures to maintain the levels recommended by the vehicle manufacturers, would be a massive help in reaching the ambitious goals for 2020.
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