Mercedes flags off road show on road safety

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Apr 29:

A roadshow aimed at spreading the message of road safety through physical demonstration, visual aids and research reports was flagged off here on Wednesday. It would travel to Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.

A joint initiative of Mercedes-Benz group companies, JP Research, Apollo Hospitals and IIT Delhi, the ‘Safe Roads’ programme boasts of physical demonstration using exhibits brought from Germany that provide real-life experience of safety measures and can potentially save lives during road-accidents.

“The ‘belt-slide’ exhibit enables visitors to experience the impact of seat belts in a simulated crash environment at low-speed while a ‘body in white’ car highlights some of the core elements of a car structure which have high-tensile strength that can absorb most of the energy during a crash and minimize passenger car intrusions,” said the statement.

“Alcohol goggles simulate the common ‘walk-the-line’ activity which causes loss of balance and delayed reaction times and wearing them, visitors will feel their susceptibility to impairments and realize the probable consequences due to alcohol consumption.”

However, the highlight is the Experimental Safety (ESF) vehicle on display that showcases a glimpse of future of safety by illustrating trailblazing innovations in the field of safety like braking bag, interactive vehicle communication etc.

“When we learned about the accident and fatality rates in India, we decided to develop the ‘Safe Roads CSR initiative’,” said Jochen Feese, head of Accident Research, Sensor Functions and Pedestrian Protection, Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Safety is a core competency and a core value for Mercedes-Benz and its automotive brands. Mercedes-Benz in particular, is renowned worldwide for developing highly sophisticated safety systems. However, implementation of effective safety systems remains a challenge, as the road users often do not comply with traffic rules or do not use the safety systems onboard their vehicles.

On Indian roads, approximately 140,000 people die every year of road accidents, largely caused due to ignorance of safety norms and rules. ‘Safe Roads’ was hence conceptualized by Mercedes-Benz, in an effort to reduce this startling fatality rate on Indian roads, by creating more awareness on road safety. Mercedes-Benz is convinced that such initiatives can begin an era of road safety awareness that supports a new culture of road safety for Indians. Over 70 per cent of the fatalities can be reduced in the next ten years through education and enforcement of safety rules and by creating awareness, an official said.