Charter for improved safety

Despite all the safety improvements, far too many people are involved in road accidents in Europe: In 2001, about 1.7 million people were injured in road accidents and about 40,000 people lost their lives.

The European Union has therefore launched a committed program to improve road safety. The aim of the campaign is to drastically reduce the number of deaths on EU roads by the year 2010. The plan was endorsed in the Irish capital Dublin, with the signing of the "European Road Safety Charter."

The charter pursues three aims:

• To appeal to all drivers to behave responsibly
• To make vehicles safer
• To expand the road infrastructure

Bosch is one of 39 corporations and organizations from all EU member states involved in this campaign. With their signatures, they have undertaken to participate in initiatives to improve road safety and to take responsibility for working to ensure that the aims of the charter are achieved.

With the Electronic Stability Program ESP, Bosch provides a system that significantly reduces the risk of road accidents by stabilizing vehicles in critical situations and preventing skidding.

Germany is a pioneer in the field of road safety: 55% of all new cars are already equipped with ESP. Other countries lag behind: In France, only 35% of cars are equipped with ESP. In Spain, the figure is 25%, in Britain 20% and in Italy 14%.

Bosch is committed to supporting the charter by increasing the number of new vehicles equipped with ESP in the EU significantly above the current 28%. We are therefore making special additional investments into research and development as well as awareness campaigns and ESP product training.

ESP – An effective safety system

The Electronic Stability Program ESP reduces the risk of skidding in critical situations. If a car is in danger of coming off track in fast corners or when evading an obstacle, sensors register the car's divergence from the right course. Measures are implemented within fractions of a second – much faster than the driver could react. ESP brakes individual wheels in a targeted way to re-stabilize the vehicle. This prevents skidding in many risk situations.

The anti-blocking system (ABS) and anti-slip regulation (ASR) are also integrated into the ESP. ABS prevents wheels from blocking during braking, while ASR stops wheels from slipping during acceleration.

Studies by renowned vehicle manufacturers show that ESP can reduce the number of accidents significantly. Increasing the number of cars with ESP is therefore an important contribution to improving road safety.

ESPerience product training
In many countries, only few drivers are aware of the benefits of ESP. Improving road safety therefore also requires well-founded awareness campaigns.

Bosch aims to involve car dealers in this task and has produced a special training scheme called "ESPerience." Participating dealers learn about the functions and benefits of ESP and experience the system in action during test drives. Dealers can then use the knowledge acquired to give customers even better advice.

By opting for a Car with ESP, drivers make an important contribution to improving road safety.