In India, the preferences of a car buyer are gradually scaling up when it comes to technologies that aid vehicle safety. The safety policies are influencing these choices to a considerable extent. On the other hand, consumers are on a constant pursuit of automotive technology knowledge through various forums, mediums, and campaigns, etc., as a result, inclined towards advanced safety products and technologies.
In an accident report published by World Road Statistics in 2018, India ranked in the first place for road accidents deaths across the 199 countries. It accounted for 11 percent of the accidents related to death in the world. More than 80 percent of these road accidents involved some aspect of driver error. The message is clear. To achieve Vision Zero: Zero Fatalities, Zero Injuries, and Zero Crashes, we need to develop and adopt advanced technologies that will enable us to drive safely. A car in India today typically features ABS, seatbelts, and airbags. So, what does the future hold in store? With the government’s progressive safety policies and growing consumer awareness, we are on the right path to enhanced road safety conditions.
Here are the five safety technologies with a promise to boost road safety in India: Electronic Stability Control (ESC): ESC is an active safety assistance system. It can help the driver prevent the occurrence of a collision by averting the loss of control in curves and emergency steering maneuvers by stabilizing the car when it begins to veer off your intended path. The Indian government’s decision to mandate Electronic Stability Control in all cars in India by 2022-23 will be a boon to the country’s road safety efforts.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB): AEB is a collision avoidance feature that integrates state-of-the-art driver assistance systems with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Autonomous Emergency Braking is a proactive and predictive driver assistance system that provides emergency braking assistance – or can even brake autonomously – if an accident risk is detected. This intelligent system aims to avoid collisions with all types of obstacles. Alternatively, if an accident is unavoidable, the system targets the maximum reduction of the impact speed.
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS): The optimal tyre pressure is crucial for excellent braking performance, vehicle stability, and control, driving performance, and achieving good fuel efficiency. TPMS measures the pressure inside a tyre directly, transmits the reading, and displays it to the instrument panel. Battery-fed sensors mounted on the rim and integrated into the valve measure the tyre’s inflation pressure and send a high-frequency signal with coded information to the display. In case of loss of tyre pressure, the driver is alerted on the critical situation using a corresponding signal.
Blind Spot Detection (BDS): BDS is one of the most useful safety technologies. In heavy traffic on multi-lane highways or in an urban traffic situation, BDS can monitor cars or motorists approaching from behind or detect a blind spot area of your car. Thereby taking the strain off the driver and avoid hazardous situations. This is particularly crucial for commercial vehicles, which often have dangerous blind spots. The Blind Spot Detection system uses sensors mounted at the side of the cabin to monitor the detection zone for relevant objects. The system alerts the driver if such an object is identified, helping the driver in maneuvering safely.
Contact Sensor System (CoSSy): The CoSSy detects contact between a vehicle and a person or object at cutting speed. The recording of sound signals by Contact Sensor System can be used to identify collision impact at low speed so that the vehicle can be stopped immediately. Once installed, the CoSSy sensor signals can support many other applications, such as detection of vandalism (scratching), slow parking knocks, recognition of the road condition, driver identification by voice, or detection of approaching emergency vehicles. Contact Sensor System helps to make applications like automated parking safer. CoSSy could enable even communication with the vehicle via touch: A tap at the door by an authenticated driver would suffice to activate an automated door opening.
About the Author: Thalavai Venkatesan is the Head of Sales and Key Account Management at Continental Automotive India