Vision Zero: Safety is digital The Volkswagen Group wants to actively contribute to reducing the number of road traffic fatalities. But how? With clever assistance systems and connectivity. Text: Joachim Hentschel | Illustrations: C3 Visual Lab T he good news first: Europe’s roads are getting safer and safer. Statisticians at the World Health Organization (WHO) came to that conclusion in their most recent Global Status Report on Road Safety, published in October 2015. The study shows that, in relative terms, the number of road traffic fatalities in European countries decreased by more than 55 percent between 2000 and 2015 (“relative” means that the figures have been adjusted to factor out the effects of the increase in vehicle numbers during the same period, making the result more informative). One reason for such a significant improvement in safety in many areas is stricter laws and intensified traffic checks, plus optimal infrastructure. Another is new assistance systems and further progress in automotive technology that makes protection for drivers, passengers and pedestrians ever more reliable. The other, not-so-good news holds a challenge for the automotive industry. Despite all the progress, about 1.3 million road traffic fatalities per year worldwide is still far too many. Human behavior in road traffic will never be perfect, 54 that’s for certain. But if carmakers were to be even more consistent in equipping their vehicles with digital safety systems and networked features, if they were to design displays and other infotainment sources to distract the driver as little as possible from what is happening on the road – then the number of accidents would fall even further in the future. And those accidents that are unavoidable would have less serious outcomes.
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