Mercedes 2001 Annual Report Download - page 24

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20 The “Vision of Accident-free Driving”
Road accidents are generally regarded as inevitable.
However, many of them can be prevented, and
DaimlerChrysler, a pioneer in the application of innova-
tive technologies, with its premium brand Mercedes-
Benz is pursuing its “Vision of Accident-free Driving.”
Our researchers and developers are working towards
increasing the safety of future automobile generations
to a level which only a few years ago would have been
regarded as unattainable: Our objective is to prevent
most accidents or at least to alleviate their conse-
quences. In matters of safety, Mercedes-Benz has been
at the forefront for decades. And our commitment to the
“Vision of Accident-free Driving” should be an encour-
agement to the entire automotive industry.
DaimlerChrysler intends traffic to be safer, more
convenient and more environment-friendly overall.
At least every second road accident might be
prevented if the vehicles involved were fitted with
appropriate driver-assistance systems. The number of
fatalities and injuries could thus be drastically reduced
over the coming 15 to 20 years. On the other hand,
driver-assistance systems should not restrict drivers’
freedom in critical situations or diminish their ultimate
responsibility.
Putting critical fractions of a second to use. In the year
2000, some three million people were injured and
42,000 killed in accidents on US roads; during the
same period, there were 500,000 injuries and 7,700
fatalities in Germany. Nine out of ten road accidents
resulting in injury or death are the result of human
error. Even if a driver recognizes a hazard, he or she
often lacks sufficient time for an appropriate reaction
as a result of the surprise situation.
The “Vision of Accident-free Driving”
Electronic systems, on the other hand, have
almost no reaction time. In about two-thirds of all road
accidents, they could be in a position to recognize cer-
tain critical situations in good time. They register the
surroundings of the vehicle and transmit this data to a
special electronic system, where it is evaluated and in-
terpreted. Such driver assistance systems can help
people to perceive hazardous situations and to act
safely in road traffic. Sensors can help alert the driver
and increase the opportunity to prevent an accident.
Innovation through electronics. Today, 80% of all inno-
vations in the automotive industry are influenced by
electronics. Thanks to high-powered microchips and in-
creasingly efficient computer architecture, computation
speeds have doubled annually over the past few years
and this has been a decisive factor in the development
of driver-assistance systems. DaimlerChrysler research-
ers have made pioneering advances that can interpret
images in near real-time. A rapid, efficiently-organized
data-processing system is employed which accesses net-
worked tables instead of having to carry out intricate
computations. Images can thus be recognized consider-
ably more quickly than with methods used previously.
The reliable recognition of traffic
signs also works in conditions of
diffuse light and during the night at
distances of 30 to 40 meters.
The carof tomorrow
will think with you