Welcome to Bosch in Thailand

By contrast to passive safety systems such as airbags and seatbelts which come into play once a crash has already taken place, active safety systems help drivers avoid accidents by keeping the vehicle on track and thus assisting the driver in reaching their destination safely. The proven effectiveness of the ABS and ESP® technologies and their widespread recognition by government authorities and automotive-related organisations was also addressed during the forum. A test drive session provided every participant with the opportunity to experience the positive impact of ABS and ESP® on vehicles’ stability and steer-ability ‘first-hand’ from inside the car.

In line with Bosch’s corporate responsibility to help protect human life and health, the event’s ultimate goal was to enhance the awareness and knowledge of automotive safety systems as a key measure for reducing road accidents and fatalities.

The evolution of active safety systems
All active safety systems are based on the pioneering ABS technology, which was introduced to the market by Bosch back in 1978. Especially on wet roads, the wheels of a vehicle may lock when braking hard, reducing the adhesion between tires and road surface. This leaves the vehicle uncontrollable, since it no longer reacts to the steering input of the driver. In a vehicle equipped with ABS, wheel-speed sensors detect the speed of rotation of the wheels and relay this information to the ABS control unit. The latter calculates the degree of slip between the wheels and the road surface and detects whether any of the wheels are about to lock. If this is the case, ABS intervenes to stabilize or decrease brake pressure. In doing so, it prevents the wheels from locking and the vehicle remains steerable, allowing the driver to steer around obstacles.

In 1995, active driving safety entered a new dimension with the introduction of Electronic Stability Program ESP® from Bosch. If the direction taken by the vehicle is different from the steering angle, ESP® reacts immediately. It uses the vehicle’s braking system as a tool for “steering” the vehicle back on track. Specific braking intervention is applied on individual wheels, such as the inner rear wheel to counter under-steer, and the outer front wheel during over-steer. These selective braking interventions generate the desired counteracting force so that the car reacts as the driver intends. For optimum implementation of stability objectives, ESP® not only initiates braking intervention, but can also intervene on the engine side to decelerate the driven wheels. ESP® thus substantially reduces the complexity of the steering process and lessens the demands placed on the driver in critical driving situations.

ESP® increases road safety
The wider proliferation of ESP® across the vehicle fleet has allowed evaluation of its effects in actual crash situations in many countries. Studies assessing the effectiveness of ESP® have been so far conducted in Japan, Germany, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. All of them confirm the benefits of ESP® on different road surfaces, while using different analytic methods, and different makes and models of vehicles, including both cars and SUVs. There is little doubt that ESP® is highly effective in reducing single-vehicle accidents in cars and SUVs. Single-vehicle accidents are those in which no other road users are involved. Studies have estimated that ESP® reduces fatal single-vehicle crashes by between 30 to 50 percent among cars and 50 to 70 percent among SUVs.

A cost-benefit analysis conducted by the University of Cologne (Germany) in 2007 indicates that in Europe alone 4,000 traffic fatalities and 100,000 injuries could be prevented each year if all cars were equipped with ESP®. In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority (NHTSA) estimates that on American roads 10,000 traffic fatalities could be saved and 250,000 injuries avoided each year if all cars had ESP®.

ABS and ESP® gaining worldwide recognition
In 2008, the global ABS installation rate stood at 76 percent. Thailand, with an ABS installation rate of 60 percent in newly produced cars, is on a comparable level with China and South Korea. However, only 4 percent of newly produced cars in Thailand in 2008 were equipped with ESP®, a figure far below the worldwide ESP® installation rate of 33 percent.

By contrast, already today more than every second new passenger car and light commercial vehicle in Europe and the USA is fitted with ESP®. Manufacturers first began equipping vehicles with ESP® in the mid 1990s in Europe. While ESP® first appeared as an option in more expensive, luxury vehicles, within a few years, premium manufacturers introduced it as standard equipment over their entire vehicle range. Since then the take rates of ESP® have increased steadily worldwide. In fact, global market figures indicate an international trend towards higher vehicle safety standards, specifically a move from ABS to ESP®.

The positive findings of the numerous international studies assessing the effectiveness of ESP® have already prompted several countries to introduce legal regulations. As early as 2007, the U.S. mandated its gradual introduction up to the model year 2012. The EU requires all new vehicles to be fitted with the active safety system ESP® by November 2014. In June 2009, the Australian government decided that the Electronic Stability Program is to be mandatory for all new passenger cars by November 2013.

Worldwide legislative initiatives are also undertaken for ABS: In Brazil, an agreement was reached at the beginning of 2009 to make ABS mandatory via a phase-in introduction within the timeframe 2010 to 2014.

Support for road safety initiatives in Thailand
The road safety issue is a topic of national relevance in Thailand, with the goal to reduce the annual toll of around 12,000 fatalities by half within the next decade. Bosch is one of the key supporters of the road safety topic through its corporate policies, product development and marketing activities. During this year’s national forum ‘Partnership for Road Safety’, Bosch has emphasised the function and benefits of the ABS and ESP® technology. In the future, Bosch will continue to raise interest in the impact of active safety systems on road safety through public information campaigns.