Stop the Crash

#STOPTHECRASH is a multi-stakeholder partnership, led by Global NCAP, campaigning for life saving crash avoidance technologies in support of the SDGs. There is wide disparity between the vehicle standards required in high-income countries and vehicles sold in many low- and middle- income countries. #STOPTHECRASH calls for governments and car manufacturers to mandate certain technologies that have been proved to prevent crashes and save lives.  

#STOPTHECRASH campaigns specifically for four vehicle interventions.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is the is technology that prevents a car skidding and is one of the most important crash avoidance systems currently available. It has helped prevent hundreds of thousands of loss-of control crashes and saved tens of thousands of lives.

On dry, wet, or slippery roads if the vehicle starts to skid, ESC corrects the slide by reducing engine torque and braking individual wheels to bring the vehicle back on course. It uses sensors to continuously monitor the stability of the vehicle. When an unstable state is detected, for instance as the result of a sudden direction change, ESC responds in milliseconds and stabilizes the vehicle. If the system senses oversteer (i.e. that the rear of the car is starting to drift sideways out of the turn), ESC applies the brakes to the front wheel on the outside of the turn to create a counteracting torque about the vertical axis of the vehicle. This stabilizes the vehicle and turns it back onto the path intended by the driver.

Studies show that ESC helps to avoiding single vehicle crashes by approximately 30%. 

ESC is mandatory in a number of countries including Australia, Canada, the EU, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, and the US. 

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)

AEB can help drivers avoid or reduce the impact of crashes by using forward-looking radar, cameras, and/or sensors to quickly detect oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, and other obstacles. That information can then be used to apply the brakes to avoid or mitigate collisions. AEB helps by constantly monitoring the road ahead and can assist the driver by automatically applying the brakes if they do not respond in an imminent crash situation.

It is estimated that AEB technologies can reduce injury claims by as much as 35%.

Anti-Lock Brakes for Motorcycles (ABS)

ABS for motorcycles prevents wheels locking up, helps the bike to remain stable and ensures optimal deceleration while braking. It significantly reduces the risk of falling and reduces stopping distance. ABS constantly monitors the speed of the wheels using wheel-speed sensors. If a wheel threatens to lock during hard braking or on slippery roads, the antilock braking system regulates the braking pressure to ensure optimum braking.

The rate of fatal crashes is 31% lower for motorcycles equipped with optional ABS than for those same models without ABS.

Antilock braking systems on motorcycles are mandatory for new vehicles in a number of countries including Australia, Brazil, Japan, and EU countries.

Tyre safety, particularly the importance of tyre pressure and adequate tread depth. 

Tyres are the sole point of contact between the vehicle and the road. All forces transmitted to the road are put down via a footprint no bigger than the size of a postcard. Therefore in a critical situation, it is the tyre that determines whether the vehicle can stop in time and whether it stays safely on course through a corner. Having high-tech tyres inflated to the correct pressure and with adequate tread depth are of key importance.

Studies show that that more than 50 percent of all passenger cars permanently are driven with underinflated tyres.

Read more about #STOPTHECRASH HERE.

Towards Zero Foundation, a key partner to the campaign will present a #STOPTHECRASH live demonstration of AEB during the High-level Symposium at the Global Meeting showing how this technology can prevent crashes and save lives.