As to educate consumers and make them gain more understanding about crash avoidance technologies, the first ever Stop the Crash Asean 2016 is held at Sepang International Airport on 29 to 30 November.

Speaking during the launching of “Stop the Crash ASEAN 2016”, Transport Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said, from June 2018 onwards, all new models of passenger cars must be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

Liow said, studies had shown that ESC could prevent at least 40% of deaths due to loss of control crashes and further reduce risk of collision by having significant better manoeuvring control during critical situation.

“As we know, Malaysia is a tropical country, rains all the time, roads are quite slippery, while police investigations show more than 45% of fatal incidents are caused by instability or inability to control the car. So, we need a stable car. This new gadget, ESC, can further reduce risk of collision by allowing significantly better manoeuvring control during critical situations,” he told a press conference after launching.

“In terms of cost-benefit ratio, it is 8 to 14 times better than head-restraint system, 18 times better than the center belt, and 10 to 28 times higher than advanced airbag,” he added.
“Frontal collision and loss of control are the main causes of accidents and deaths. According to the Royal Malaysia Police data for 2015, this type of collision contributes to 45.39% of fatal accidents. As safe system approach, safer vehicle and safer road can really minimize the injury outcome of a crash if not avoid it at all, even though human has made error while driving,” Liow said.

This safety awareness event is a collaborative effort between ASEAN NCAP and NCAP global as a new initiative to promote crash avoidance technologies through demonstrating the latest innovations in automotive safety in action within a controlled environment.

Also present at the event were Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Lee Lam Thye and Global New Car Assessment Programme secretary-general David Ward.

On top of that, during this two-day event, a total of seven demo stations are available for attendees to experience and witness the crash avoidance technologies covering five key areas: Electronic stability control (ESC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for Motorcycles, Tyre Safety and Blind Spot Monitoring System (BLIS).

As to ensure attendees understand clearly about these technologies works, informative explanations and guidance were also provided on the spot by experts during demonstration.

Electronic stability control (ESC)
ESC is the anti-skid technology that helps to prevent loss of control crashes and save lives due to wet and dangerous road condition. 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
Speaking at the event, Hans Dziedo, Director of Vehicle Integration and Test, BU Vehicle Dynamics, at Continental Teves AG & Co oHG explains that, this anti-skid technology 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 instantly and stabilises the vehicle.”
According toDziedo, in Europe, ESC became a mandatory requirement in all new cars since November 2014, it is estimated that since 1995 at least 188,500 crashes involving injury have been avoided and more than 6,100 lives saved by ESC. Meanwhile, in the United States, where ESC became mandatory from 2012 it is estimated that already more than 6,000 lives have been saved.

During this safety awareness event, test vehicles provided by Proton were used to demonstrate the difference of evading an obstacle on the wet at a speed of 80 km/h with ESC switched on and off. As for attendees to grasp a better understanding of this anti-skid technology, attendees were invited to take a ride with a trained driver, so that they can experience the difference between driving with and without ECS.

With ESC on, the vehicles respond to the inputs of their driver with little fuss; while with ESC off, the vehicles behave twitchier and more likely to lose control.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
Sometimes, road accidents are caused by late braking and/or braking with insufficient force. A driver may brake too late due to distractions, poor visibility and unforeseen circumstances like the driver ahead is braking unexpectedly, a pedestrian crosses the street without paying attention and more. Most people are not used to dealing with such critical situations and do not apply enough braking force to avoid a crash or do not brake at all because there is not sufficient time to react.

During the event, Jan-Olov Axelsson, Techinical Manager of Denso International Europe says, as to avoid accident as such, AEB systems was introduced few years ago to improve safety through identifying critical situations early and warning the driver to avoid crashes.

“Most AEB systems use radar, (stereo) camera and/or lidar-based technology to identify potential collision partners ahead of the car. As for the crashes which cannot be avoided, the system helps to reduce the severity of the crashes by lowering the speed of collision and, in some cases, by preparing the vehicle and restraint systems for impact. “ Axelsson said.

At the event, test vehicles from Volvo, Mazda, and Subaru were used to demonstrate the how autonomous emergency braking can help to reduce crashes through early detection of critical situations. During the demonstration, the driver manages to make an emergency brake when a pedestrian popped out from the road.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for Motorcycles
ABS is a system invented to prevent wheel lock-up and ensures bike stability as well as optimal deceleration while braking. ABS therefore significantly reduces the risk of falling and reduces stopping distance. On a motorcycle fitted with an antilock braking system, the ABS control unit constantly monitors the speed of the wheels using wheel-speed sensors.

Tyre Safety
Tyres are sole point of contact between the vehicle and the road, during a drive, all the forces are transmitted to the road via the tyres at all corners of the vehicle on a surface less than a human’s palm. As such, in a critical situation, it is the tyre that determines whether the vehicle can stop in time – or whether it stays safely on course through a corner. Therefore, car drivers should be aware of the safety benefits of using high-tech tyres inflated to the correct pressure and with adequate tread depth.

Blind Spot Monitoring System (BLIS)
A radar-based system that helps to warn drivers about other vehicles are approaching near their vehicle from the visual blind zone, as to avoid crashes between vehicles and pedestrians.