Press ReleaseBosch India and WABCO INDIA organize ‘SAFETY DRIVE’ symposium to promote vehicle safety
February 5, 2013, Chennai: Bosch India, a leading provider of products and services in the automotive technology, energy and building technology, industrial technology and consumer goods space is organizing the ‘Safety Drive’ symposium in collaboration with WABCO INDIA. WABCO is a leading global supplier of technologies and control systems for the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicles. Taking place on February 5-6, 2013 at WABCO’s proving ground and test track in Chennai, the symposium will serve as a platform for industry bodies, OEMs and media to examine and deliberate on the present state of vehicle safety in India. The symposium thus aims at highlighting available technologies and solutions to improve vehicle and road safety in India. Present state of global road accident fatalities According to the United Nations (UN), worldwide 1.3 million people die in traffic accidents each year, and 50 million are injured. Within ten years, the number of annual road deaths could rise to 1.9 million – nearly a 50 percent rise. This is driven mainly by the rapid growth in road traffic in the emerging countries. The UN has thus announced 2011-2020 as the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ with the objective to reduce the forecasted number of road deaths by 50%. One of the five pillars that the UN has described for this project is ‘Safer Vehicles’. This entails universal deployment of crash avoidance and mitigation technologies, such as the Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in commercial vehicles, cars and motorcycles. Road accident fatalities in India According to the latest Road Transport ministry report India, with one road accident every minute in 2011 that claimed one life every 3.7 minutes, perhaps has the highest road fatality rate in the world. The need to tackle this issue expeditiously couldn’t have been more pronounced. Keeping in view the urgency to address this problem, Bosch and WABCO being two of the major providers of vehicle safety solutions to the market, have taken the initiative to collaborate with the automobile industry to discuss possible measures in this direction. An initiative towards vehicle safety awareness Commenting on the event, Mr. Balasubramanian, Deputy Managing Director Bosch Chassis Systems India Limited said, “The ‘Safety Drive’ symposium is in an initiative to garner the collective effort of all stakeholders who support the cause of improved vehicle safety in India. As a company dedicated to developing technology that is ‘invented for life’ it is imperative that Bosch contributes towards making vehicles safer. It is crucial that critical safety features become a mandatory aspect of any vehicle that plies on Indian roads. The problems and fatalities on Indian roads are very real and it is imperative that we use available technology and global best practices to make our vehicles safer. And in this endeavour we look forward the support of OEMs, the government, industry players and the end users themselves.” Reinforcing WABCO’s commitment to advance safety and driver effectiveness in commercial vehicles, Mr. P. Kaniappan, Whole-Time Director, WABCO INDIA said, “Alongside the rapid growth in traffic volumes and transportation routes throughout India, we are facing an alarming growth in the number and severity of road accidents. Partnering on this ‘Safety Drive’ initiative with Bosch offers WABCO a powerful platform to highlight the positive and proven impact of established commercial vehicle safety technologies, including ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and ESC (Electronic Stability Control), which have the potential to significantly reduce the number of accidents on India’s roads. Participation of international experts “The ‘Safety Drive’ Symposium will see the participation of international experts. David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, a UK registered charity that promotes road safety, and sustainable mobility will speak on the topic of “The Decade of Action for Road Safety-Global Plan”, Mr. Thomas Lich from Bosch Corporate Research will present on Accident Research in India, while Dr. Christian Wiehen, Chief Technology Officer, WABCO will speak on the topic of “Improving Road Safety in India with Commercial Vehicle Control Systems”. Symposium guests also include Prince Michael of Kent (first cousin to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) a patron of the Global Road Safety Commission and Mr. B. Bhanot Chairman TEDC (BIS) – a major authority in formulation and implementation of safety and emission regulations in the country. About Bosch The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH. More information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.com. About Bosch in India In India Bosch Limited is the flagship company of the Bosch Group. It earned revenue of over Rs 8000 crores in 2011. Additional information can be accessed at www.boschindia.com About WABCO About WABCO INDIA For further media queries contact Perfect Relations
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