The Accident Preventer

Continental is a leader in the development of innovative technologies for active safety in cars – i.e. for safety systems that prevent accidents. This is decisive for the realization of “Vision Zero.”

The world is on the move. An increasing number of people are using more and more cars, motorcycles, bicycles, electric bikes, e-scooters and all sorts of other vehicles. Regardless of the vehicle category, the numbers of registrations and users are rising sharply worldwide. Since 2005, for example, the number of cars registered for road use worldwide has almost doubled to around 1.6 billion. According to forecasts, global motorcycle sales will increase from around 56 million per year today to almost 62 million per year in the next five years. The number of bicycles is also growing. Today, around a billion bicycles are on the road worldwide – 450 million in India alone – and the number is constantly increasing.

The more people are mobile, the greater the risk of accidents. Or so you might assume. But in many countries, the number of road deaths has been falling for years, as has the number of serious injuries. In Germany, for example, there were around 2.4 million road accidents in 2023, in which 2,817 people lost their lives. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 6,613 road deaths 20 years earlier. And in 1983, 40 years earlier, the figure was 11,732. More and more road users but fewer and fewer accident victims?

Streets are becoming increasingly crowded but also increasingly safe

The answer to this apparent contradiction: technology solutions. Innovative safety systems ensure a significant and ever greater increase in safety on roads that are in fact more and more crowded. The introduction of the anti-lock brake system (ABS), the development of electronic stability control (ESC) and the integration of many other assistance systems help to prevent accidents in advance through the interaction between automotive sensor technology and increasingly intelligent vehicle electronics.

But the ultimate goal must be no accidents at all. A look at the global accident statistics shows that far too many avoidable accidents still happen, particularly in emerging countries. Every six seconds, a road accident occurs somewhere in the world in which someone dies or is seriously injured. This equates to more than 1.3 million road fatalities and up to 50 million serious injuries worldwide every year.

Continental is therefore pursuing “Vision Zero” – a world without traffic accidents. This ambitious goal can only be achieved if all parties involved work together: industry, politics and research institutions as well as automotive consumer protection bodies such as the worldwide NCAP safety organizations. Above all, however, technology companies like Continental have a responsibility to develop technology solutions tailored to the specific regional traffic and accident situation for all regions of the world.

Active safety – avoiding crashes in focus

Continental is facing up to this responsibility through pivotal research and development projects as well as innovative product solutions for active safety, all of which have one major goal: to help prevent accidents. Examples include safety systems such as lane departure warning or drowsiness detection systems that prevent vehicles from collisions due to inattentiveness. If a collision cannot be avoided, passive safety systems – assistance systems that help to reduce the severity of an accident and thus save lives – come into play. A significant gain in safety can be achieved above all through the intelligent interaction of all safety technologies. Passive systems such as the belt tensioner work hand in hand with active systems like emergency brake assist. The sense, plan, act chain is crucial: systems detect a danger, a solution is found in real time and then actively implemented right away.

The former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt once famously said “People with visions should go to the doctor.” A man of clear, wise words – but this saying can be safely contradicted. Because behind Continental’s “Vision Zero” is an extensive portfolio of smart technologies that are turning this very vision into reality. These active safety systems, for example, help to prevent accidents before they happen:

ABS: 55 years ago, Continental presented what is now the most widely used safety system in the world at the IAA in Frankfurt. The principle of stopping wheel lock-up during braking has prevented countless accidents since 1969. Today’s anti-lock brake systems are enhanced by more than 50 additional functions on average.
ESC: Electronic Stability Control is another milestone in the history of automotive safety technology. Continental developed electronic brake systems such as the MK 120 ESC, which provide even greater safety during braking and acceleration and prevent the vehicle from skidding.

EBA: Continental’s Emergency Brake Assist for passenger cars and motorcycles prevents accidents by warning the driver or the rider visually and acoustically and initiating automatic partial or emergency braking.

Emergency Brake Assist: shortened response time and support by braking intervention in the event of impending rear-end collisions.

Display Solutions: vehicle monitors are the most important interfaces for user-vehicle interaction. The harmonious interaction between driver and vehicle is essential. Relevant driving data needs to be recorded intuitively. Continental relies on a smart cockpit that places the driver at the center. The in-house innovations In2visible Display and Privacy Displays can make additional infotainment content available exclusively to passengers when driving. Head-up Displays ensure that the driver’s eyes remain on the road. A Driver Identification Display in turn offers enhanced driver protection with a camera and sensors positioned invisibly behind the display.

V2X Communication: an increasing number of smart safety technologies integrate the infrastructure. Continental is working on Vehicle-to-X technology which connects vehicles with each other and with the infrastructure, such as traffic lights, in order to defuse neuralgic accident hotspots. A key use case: obscured unprotected road users such as pedestrians or cyclists can be detected and a collision prevented.

Connected vehicles make driving safer and more efficient.

Holistic Motion Control Software: smart software is key to improving the performance of existing safety systems – and to technological innovation. Continental has developed a central software for the orchestration of all essential motion actuators for longitudinal, lateral and vertical control.

Discover more about Vision Zero

Vision Zero

Continental has an ambitious goal: a future without road traffic accidents. While it may sound like science fiction, it is actually feasible – by deploying safety technologies custom-tailored to every region in the world, and applying the findings of our in-house accident research.

Passive Safety

With Vision Zero, Continental is pursuing an ambitious goal. But until we are in a world without traffic accidents, it is vital we at least minimize their serious consequences. Passive safety systems such as airbags and active engine hoods help to save lives, and artificial intelligence is increasingly being used for this purpose.

NCAP and Legislators

A world without traffic accidents – that is Continental’s “Vision Zero.” A goal that the NCAP consumer protection organization is also pursuing: with new test arrangements, the use of high-tech dummies and the awarding of the coveted five stars for the best vehicle safety. Continental and Euro NCAP are engaging in dialog aimed at developing test scenarios that are as realistic as possible.