Happy birthday, little life saver!
It is 30 years since anti-lock brake technology debuted on a car – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The safety system has subsequently led to the introduction of a variety of other life-saving technologies that are now appearing on vehicles. JOHN MASLEN reports...
As early as in the 1970s, test vehicles equipped with ABS demonstrated a
potentially greater safety
THIS year marks the 30th anniversary of anti-lock brakes (ABS) being fitted to cars, an initiative which has proved to be one of the planet’s most significant lifesavers. There are tens of thousands of people who would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the ingenious system that began its production launch in 1978.
ABS automatically stops a vehicle’s wheels from locking up during emergency braking. Normally, when a vehicle starts skidding, it loses all steering control.
Anti-lock brakes detect a skid and start to ‘pump’ the brakes while still braking hard, so a driver can steer around danger.
The only obvious sign of this state-of-the-art system working is a ‘thumping’ feeling on the brake pedal as the ABS leaps into action to keep the car under the driver’s control.
Because it is so undramatic, it is difficult to understand how much safer ABS makes the driver, but numerous studies provide overwhelming evidence of the system’s benefits.
Reduced risk
In 2003, a study by Australia’s Monash University Accident Research Centre found that ABS reduced the risk of multiple vehicle crashes by 18% and reduced the risk of crashes where vehicles run off the road by 35%.
It concluded that an alert, skilled driver without ABS would find it difficult to achieve the performance of ABS through manual techniques in an emergency.
Drivers sometimes mistakenly claim that ABS cuts stopping distances, but it can actually increase them, for example on gravel roads.
However, what it does ensure is that the driver maintains control of the vehicle and avoids skidding. They can then steer away from danger.
The Monash report added: “ABS significantly improves safety and control for drivers in most on-road situations.”
That level of safety and control is now accessible to at least 150 million drivers thanks to Bosch, now the world’s largest provider of automotive technology to all leading vehicle and component manufacturers, which introduced the ABS system to the market in 1978.
The 30th anniversary in question is the production launch of the first electronicallycontrolled anti-lock braking system, which originally weighed in at a hefty six kilograms.
Today, the whole system is much lighter, at 1.4 kilograms, but it operates considerably faster and with greater levels of safety.
Initially, it was just an optional extra for luxury cars, having been first fitted to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Standard
ABS is now fitted to at least two-thirds of new vehicles worldwide, while it is standard fit on all vehicles produced for the European market. But that is just the start of the lifesaving benefits of the system, because it has become the cornerstone of a growing range of electronic devices designed to keep the driver in control in emergency situations.
In 1986, Bosch introduced the traction control system (TCS), which intervenes to limit engine power if it detects wheelspin, for example when starting off or accelerating on snow, ice and wet roads.
Then, in 1995, it launched the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) the multi-award-winning system that combines a range of brake systems, including ABS and traction control, to keep a vehicle from losing control during emergency manoeuvres.
ESP technology is known by about 23 names – including electronic stability control (ESC) – coined by different car manufacturers, but they all essentially provide the same life-saving anti-skid technology.
During emergency steering, ESP brakes individual wheels to ensure the car responds to steering inputs, instead of spinning out of control.
Identified
Recent research has identified that 42% of all newly registered passenger cars in the EU are now fitted with ESP.
The benefits of brake control systems – first and foremost ESP – have been highlighted by a number of studies.
The most recent, published by the Department for Transport, found that vehicles equipped with ESP were 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without it – equivalent to approximately 380 driver fatal accidents and the reduction of 7,400 slight and serious injuries each year.
A socioeconomic study by the University of Cologne showed that 4,000 traffic deaths and 100,000 injuries could be prevented in Europe alone if ESP was installed in all vehicles.
All passenger cars in the US must be gradually equipped with the active safety system by model year 2012. The EU Commission has also announced its intention to mandate installation of the anti-skid system from 2011.
Recommended
Since 2005 the European New Car Assessment Programme, which carries out independent crash tests, has recommended that car buyers only buy vehicles with ESP.
Awareness of the benefits of the system is growing, although it varies between countries.
A high-profile ChooseESC! campaign, led in the UK by RoadSafe, is currently underway and this year began with a major event at the European Parliament to encourage MEPs to support the technology.
In December last year, ESP was recognised as the most important safety innovation of the past 20 years with a prestigious Prince Michael 20th Anniversary International Road Safety Technology Award. It noted that ESP could be the most important in-car technology and road safety development since the introduction of the seat belt.
Also in December, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) awarded Bosch the internationally acclaimed FIA World Prize for Road Safety, the Environment and Mobility.
ABS brakes explained
When the limits of grip have been reached under braking, a car’s tyre can’t respond to steering inputs...
Often, this means the car follows a straight line into the object the driver is braking to avoid.
An ABS system, made up of wheel speed sensors, a hydraulic motor, some pressure release valves and a control module, detects that one wheel is slowing down more rapidly than the rest (a symptom of wheel-lock) and automatically reduces the brake pressure on this wheel.
Once the wheel starts turning, pressure is applied again. All this happens in a split second.
It ensures that the car maintains grip, but can also keep a vehicle braking in a straight line on difficult surfaces, for example when one side is on snow and another on ashphalt.
ABS past and future
Steerable despite full braking – the only way to safely drive around obstacles
THE PAST
BASIC anti-lock braking systems were first developed for aircraft in 1929 by the French automobile and aircraft pioneer Gabriel Voisin. A fully mechanical system saw limited automobile use in the 1960s but saw no further use as the system proved expensive and, in automobile use, unreliable. A limited form of manual anti-lock braking was fitted to the 1964 Austin 1800, with other crude systems entering limited production in the 1970s.
However, it was the German firms Bosch and Mercedes-Benz that achieved a major automotive milestone with the launch of the first completely electronic four-wheel multi-channel ABS system in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 1978. They had been co-developing anti-lock braking technology since the 1930s.
THE FUTURE
TECHNOLOGY has come a long way since anti-lock brakes first appeared.
It has provided the blueprint for a vast range of new systems, including traction control and ESP.
Hill descent control keeps off-roaders safe during descents, while hill hold control stops vehicles rolling back once drivers take their foot off the brake on a steep hill. Load sensitive braking systems and even trailer control systems have also been developed.
But there is much more to come.
Already, manufacturers at the premium end of the vehicle market, including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are launching intelligent vehicles which will take over braking in emergency situations.
The newest S-Class and Volvo V70 combine radar-based cruise control with a brake assist system to automatically hit the brakes if the car senses that a rear-end collision is unavoidable, reducing the severity of the impact.
Volvo has showcased a new generation of safety systems that take vehicle safety to new levels - Collision Warning with Auto Brake for pedestrians; Collision Avoidance by Auto Steering; and Vehicle to Vehicle Communication.
Auto Brake for pedestrians safety sounds an alarm if a pedestrian is ahead, then if the driver still doesn’t brake, and the collision is imminent, the car’s brakes are activated automatically. Collision Avoidance by Auto Steering ‘sees’ if the car is about to move into the path of oncoming or stationary traffic and automatically steers the car back to a safe position in the original lane.
With Vehicle to Vehicle Communication, a driver in one car can receive information that another vehicle further ahead on the same road, or around a blind corner, has come across an obstacle and has slammed on the brakes – and this makes it possible to brake in good time.
Bosch has trialled systems that recognise speed limits and also a Secondary Collision Mitigation (SCM) system, which takes control of the vehicle after an impact to stop it safely.
Another new system in development is Vehicle Dynamics Management, which works with ESP and other active chassis systems improve handling and tackle understeer.
Research reveals alarming lack of knowledge
New research has revealed drivers haven’t the knowledge to deal with difficult road conditions and emergencies....
According to Mercedes-Benz World, almost a third of the driving population (31%) have lost control of their vehicle in bad weather and three quarters (76%) are not confident drivers in all conditions. Almost half (45%) of the 2,000 drivers questioned, admitted that they either don’t know how to handle a skid or that they would not be confident in their ability to react appropriately.
Mercedes-Benz World offers driving experiences to simulate extreme road conditions, providing the opportunity to practice driving on a slippery surface with guidance from a professional. Rockingham Motor Speedway, in Northamptonshire, has also launched a new course, called DriveSafe, which allows motorists to put their own car’s safety systems to the test, including ESP and ABS.
International safety expert Dr Will Murray has put together a list of dos and don’ts. which aims to help drivers understand how to use ABS to avoid crashes. He said: “You should not pump your brakes if you have ABS. Just ‘Stomp and Steer’.”
In Europe, the best known in-car safety systems are the airbag and the safety belt. But awareness of ABS and ESP is also increasing. This is the finding of a survey of roughly 3,000 people conducted by Bosch in seven European countries.
Do safer cars make worse drivers?
When car drivers understand the systems fitted to their cars, does that make them more dangerous?...
Industry experts have raised concerns that improvements in car safety and electronic driving aids are making drivers feel “invincible” and increase risky behaviour. Gavin Jones, head of risk management at leasing firm Masterlease, said: “Drivers count on their ABS brakes, twin front, side and curtain airbags and impact-protected doors to rescue them from their risk-taking behaviour.”
This state of mind, known as risk compensation, is when a driver accepts their given level of risk in an activity.
Mr Jones said: “Drivers of vehicles promoted for their safety features can feel a false sense of security and immunity to danger, but by taking risks they offset the car’s benefit and jeopardise their safety.”
