Bosch, a leader in advanced safety systems, has developed a portfolio of crash avoidance technologies that helps in reducing vehicle-related injuries and fatalities.

The Bosch unveiling of the new technology comes at a time when studies show that 45 per cent of drivers in crash situations do not take full advantage of their vehicle’s braking capabilities.

Volker Bischoff, general manager, Bosch Middle East FZE, said Bosch’s long-range radar technologies, when integrated with other vehicle systems, provides a range of safety features that aim to reduce vehicle-related fatalities.

'We believe that these technologies will be particularly relevant to the Middle East, especially in countries such as the UAE, which has an alarmingly high rate of road fatalities,' he observed.

The 'Global Status Report on Road Safety,' released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently, says that UAE roads users are almost seven times more likely to be killed than those in the UK. According to the report 37.1 people were killed on roads in the UAE for every 100,000 people in 2007.

Bosch’s radar system enables advanced comfort and safety options such as adaptive cruise control (ACC) and predictive emergency braking (PEB), he pointed out.

Bosch’s PEB technology consists of predictive collision warning (PCW), emergency brake assist (EBA) and automatic emergency braking (AEB).

These technologies can warn the driver of a potential collision, determine when the driver is not fully braking, and intervene accordingly. When in an emergency braking situation, the driver may experience the following:

*PCW – The driver is warned via a short yet perceivable brake pulse and/or automatic seat belt retraction.
*EBA – Upon initial partial braking by the driver, EBA automatically increases the brake pressure to the required level for the given situation.
*AEB – In the case of a distracted driver that does not react or brake, AEB initiates automatic emergency braking if a collision is unavoidable.

To further assist the driver, Bosch utilizes its multi-purpose camera to support lane vision, including lane departure warning (LDW) and lane keeping support (LKS), Bischoff pointed out.

The LDW function tracks a vehicle’s course within lane markings and road boundaries, providing acoustic or haptic feedback if the vehicle drifts out of the lane. LKS occurs when the vehicle begins drifting out of a lane by correcting the vehicles path with a smooth return to center.

Recent developments of driver assistance and vehicle communication systems make it possible to further improve crash avoidance and mitigation capabilities.

The next step, according to Bosch, is integrating separate safety features into an interactive system, which Bosch calls Vehicle Motion and Safety (VMS).

“When active and passive safety, driver assistance and vehicle communication systems come together, the result is increased comfort, greater agility and, ultimately, improved safety for consumers,” said Bischoff. “With this approach, we are one step closer to our vision of safe, accident-free driving,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service