Schrader Welcomes New Driver Assistance Systems

 

From 31 March 2018, eCall will be mandatory for new cars in the EU. Schrader welcomes new driver assistance systems and looks back at the history of TPMS.

Higher traffic density and a higher number of vehicle registrations are a growing trend in this increasingly mobile world. Driver assistance systems are therefore becoming more and more important. Following ABS, ESP and TPMS, the EU will also make eCall mandatory for all new cars starting from 31 March 2018. Schrader, the world market leader for tyre pressure monitoring systems welcomes the automatic emergency call system, which, after an accident, immediately transmits all relevant data to a central station which ensures rapid assistance. Schrader Sales Manager Sven Müller: “The mandatory equipment of assistance systems is in line with the Vision Zero project, by means of which the EU wants to reduce the number of traffic deaths to zero by 2050. Even better than fast rescue solutions are of course systems which prevent accidents in the first place.”

For example, ABS and ESP became mandatory for new vehicles in 2004 and 2014 respectively. Three years ago another mandatory system was added, which contributes significantly to traffic safety: tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). At the moment there is still no reliable data to prove the reduced accident risk in Europe. It is a fact though, that more than one third of all cars have at least one tyre with low pressure. “The positive effect on traffic safety should actually be similar to the USA, where tyre pressure monitoring systems have been mandatory for new cars for ten years,” explains Schrader expert Müller.

The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, estimates that more than 3% of traffic accidents in the United States could have been prevented with correct tyre pressure. According to estimates, there are 40,000 annual traffic accidents in the USA, which are caused by a tyre with low pressure. These accidents probably result in 33,000 casualties and 660 fatalities. The numbers seem realistic: Tests have shown that a front tyre pressure which is 1 bar too low can extend a vehicle’s braking distance by up to 10%. Even if a collision cannot be prevented entirely, an optimal brake performance can help to reduce the impact speed and perhaps even soften injuries or prevent them altogether. And this even benefits other parties who don’t have a TPMS. Low tyre pressure does not just negatively affect braking behaviour, but also the stability when driving. The ADAC (General German Automobile Club) found out that even 0.5 bar of decreased pressure can reduce the directional stability in curves by 50%. But this danger can easily be prevented thanks to TPMS.