Continental showcases 2-wheeler safety tech at StopTheCrash initiative

German technology company, Continental today showcased select safety technologies from its portfolio at the #StopTheCrash India chapter, organised by the international road safety charity Global NCAP today at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida.

As one of the partners of the 'Stop the Crash' campaign, Continental demonstrated its two-wheeler safety technologies, including MiniMAB one-channel ABS and MK 100 MAB two-channel ABS for motorcycles.

As the world’s biggest two-wheeler market, the government-mandated safety norms for two-wheelers in India, which will come into effect starting April 2019, will significantly reduce the number of accidents. The technology company says its solution for smaller motorcycles and scooters, a one-channel ABS called MiniMAB, is a small and lightweight solution for small two-wheelers, which prevents the front wheel from locking up in case of sudden braking by the driver, thus avoiding an accident or the vehicle becoming instable.

The MK 100 MAB is said to be the next generation of the existing two-channel ABS system, which is significantly smaller, lighter and more easily applicable to new types of motorcycles – and the system is also more price competitive. In the standard configuration, the new MK 100 MAB includes ABS and a function that recognises when the rear wheel has lost contact with the road (Rear-Wheel Lift-Off Protection, RLP).

Awareness and acceptance of safety technologies
Continental says it is continuing to invest on technologies that improve road safety, and focusing R&D activities strongly on customers’ increased requirements.

“With one of the world’s highest numbers of road accidents and fatalities, India has to adopt relevant technologies, implement regulation and ensure enforcement to realise Vision Zero -- Zero Fatalities, Zero Injuries, Zero Accidents. Today’s crash avoidance technologies are capable of preventing many types of vehicle collision before they happen. Continental has partnered with Global NCAP’s for Stop the Crash to create awareness of these life-saving technologies,” said Prashanth Doreswamy, Head of Continental India.

According to Krishan Kohli, Head of Continental’s Vehicle Dynamics business in India, “Thanks to legislations and increasing acceptance of safety technologies, India is emerging as an important market for airbags, ABS and ESC. Continental already produces ABS and ESC units in India. Active R&D on safety technologies is also carried out in India, at our in-house R&D centre,  Technical Centre India .”

“Two-wheelers account for a large percentage of road accidents, therefore technologies such as ABS should be non-negotiable. Yet another technology is the ESC, which is one of the most important crash avoidance systems currently available for passenger cars. There is enough data from mature markets that quantify how safety technologies save lives and reduce fatal injuries,” added Kohli.

Continental set up a line for localisation of ABS assembly, besides ESC systems, at its existing plant in Gurgaon in 2016. This plant recently reached the 1 million units milestone for Electronic Brake Systems (EBS). In 2018, the company introduced production line for ABS ECU localisation in its Bangalore plant.

The technology company has been continuously evaluating possibilities to localise further. Recently, Continental also announced a new facility for its R&D center in Gurgaon, dedicated exclusively to its brake systems business.

Stop the Crash is a multi-stakeholder partnership led by Global NCAP to campaign for the widest availability of road safety technologies worldwide. The initiative focuses on promoting key safety systems with proven real-world effectiveness, namely Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), and Anti-Lock Brakes for Motorcycles (ABS). It also highlights the importance of tyre safety, particularly the importance of tyre pressure and adequate tread depth. Stop the Crash partners are united in their shared commitment to promote advanced vehicle safety technologies in support of the United Nation’s Global Goals and the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Also read: StopTheCrash campaign launched in India, pedestrian safety feature in cars kicks in from October, AEB and ESC by 2022

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