#StopTheCrash arrives in Mexico to encourage the government and private sector to incorporate life saving technologies
#StopTheCrash Partnership hosts live demonstrations of crash avoidance technologies that prevent fatalities and mitigate serious injuries for all road users in support of the United Nations Global Goals and the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Launched at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City with the support of Latin NCAP, the Mexican Red Cross, la Organización Mexicana del Deporte Automovilístico Internacional (OMDAI), El Poder del Consumidor and the Centro de Experimentación y Seguridad Vial México (CESVI Mexico), #StopTheCrash event in this country has a special focus on the benefits of Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) for cars and pedestrians and Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) for motorcycles.
In Mexico, 70% of registered road deaths by type of user in 2020 corresponds to Vulnerable Road Users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Despite the great potential of these technologies to save lives, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), pedestrian protection, the speed assistance systems and blind spot detection, mandatory in Europe, were not incorporated into the NOM-194 in its latest revision as mandatory or encouraged, regardless of the fact that the country exports the vast majority of its production of vehicles that do include these technologies, but for other markets. In Mexico, the AEB and pedestrian protection would prevent 3,409 deaths per year, mostly vulnerable road users.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC), set to become a mandatory requirement in Mexico for 2025 models, has the potential to save an estimated 5,822 lives in the country per year. The implementation of this technology in all new cars as a basic requirement should not be delayed.
The technologies promoted by #StopTheCrash have the potential to save thousands of lives every year and the UN has developed international standards to help encourage countries around the world to mandate these lifesaving technologies. Many other countries have taken a lead in adopting such legislation to protect drivers, riders and other vulnerable road users. Latin NCAP and the #StopTheCrash Partnership encourages the Mexican government to take a leadership role for the continent in the fitment of vehicle safety technology. Mexican fleets have the potential to accelerate the incorporation of safer vehicles on the streets and highways through voluntary improvements to their purchase or lease policies.
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said:
“Latin American countries, and in particular Mexico, lag far behind in vehicle safety despite Mexico being the most prepared to comply with them. Autonomous Emergency Braking, pedestrian protection, speed assistance system and blind spot detection, among others, mandatory in Europe, were not incorporated into the NOM-194 in its latest revision. Knowing the great potential of these technologies to save lives, it is necessary for the government to include as soon as possible in their agenda the requirements of these technologies, along with independent information for consumers, with clear deadlines, and to accompany the process with incentives that cause voluntary adoption".
Stephan Brodziak, Vehicle Safety Campaigns Coordinator for El Poder del Consumidor said:
May #StopThe Crash be a witness to the great potential that crash avoidance technologies have to reduce road injuries and deaths.
“As long as these technologies, already available in the Mexican market, continue to be voluntary for manufacturers, each year thousands of people will see their lives and those of their families affected. Every decision about the design of a car implies an estimation of the cost of a human life; due to the slow progress in the implementation of vehicle safety standards, we conclude that, both for the government and the automotive industry in general, unfortunately, the value of a life in Mexico and Latin America is very low.
“Almost 13 years after the launch of the first Decade of Action for Road Safety, Electronic Stability Control is not mandatory for new cars. Latin NCAP Programme has been the only organisation that has managed to generate substantive evidence on the safety performance of the vehicles in our region, and thereby change the vehicle safety profile of the supply of new cars in Latin America.
“We urge the government to move forward, with Latin NCAP, to reduce the effects of inertias on designs, administrative and the interference of the industry to improve vehicles in Mexico and lead the change in our region.”
Pitichi López, National Coordinator for the Prevention of Injuries of the Mexican Red Cross said:
“At the Mexican Red Cross we attend to 3,000 emergency calls daily in the country. Between 30 and 40% of those calls are road accidents. This means that, on average, every day our lifeguards and paramedics attend to between 900 and 1,200 road accidents.
“As we have said many times, as first responders we are aware of the tragic consequences of road accidents translated into deaths, serious injuries and disabilities acquired in our country, which are preventable and mainly affects children and young people. Our mission and reason for being is to save lives, alleviate and prevent human suffering in all its forms, which is why we joined the Stop the Crash Partnership, because we know the difference a car with safety devices can make to prevent these accidents, and because, according to studies, with safer cars we could save at least a third of the lives that we lose in our country today.
“At the Mexican Red Cross, we are committed to reducing the frequency and results of road accidents, and we want our sirens to stop sounding for this reason.”
David Ward, President of the Stop The Crash Partnership said:
“Safe and sustainable mobility is a constitutional right in Mexico and making crash avoidance technologies a mandatory requirement will help achieve this life saving national goal.
“Systems like Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) can save thousands of Mexican lives, especially amongst those most vulnerable road users. Why wait until 2025 to introduce ESC legislation when we already know of its significant safety benefits? It’s time to Stop the Crash now!”
Editor’s Note
Led by Global NCAP, the #STOPTHECRASH Partnership includes the ADAC, Bosch, Consumers International, Continental, Denso, Thatcham Research, ZF, and the Towards Zero Foundation. All are united in their shared commitment to promote advanced vehicle safety technologies in support of the UN’s Global Goals and the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
ESC is the most significant advance in vehicle safety since the introduction of the seat belt and one of the most important crash avoidance systems currently available. This anti-skid technology has already helped prevent hundreds of thousands of loss of control crashes and saved tens of thousands of lives. 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. The system 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 in milliseconds and stabilises the vehicle. If the system senses oversteer (i.e. that the rear of the car is starting to drift sideways out of the turn), ESC applies the brakes to the front wheel on the outside of the turn to create a counteracting torque about the vertical axis of the vehicle. This stabilises the vehicle and turns it back onto the path intended by the driver.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
AEB is an advanced safety technology that can help drivers avoid or mitigate collisions with other vehicles or vulnerable road users. AEB systems use forward looking radar, cameras or optical sensors or a combination of these sensors to help quickly and accurately detect impeding vehicles, pedestrians and potentially other obstacles. AEB helps provide constant monitoring of the road ahead and is designed to assist the driver by automatically applying the brakes if they do not respond in an imminent crash situation. AEB currently exists in three formats: City, Inter Urban and Pedestrian.
Anti-Lock Brakes in Motorcycles (ABS)
ABS for motorcycles prevents 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. If a wheel threatens to lock during hard braking or on slippery roads, the antilock braking system regulates the braking pressure in a targeted manner, thereby ensuring optimum braking. In this way, the driving stability and maneuverability of the motorcycle is maintained, even where there are adverse driving conditions such as sand, loose chippings or water. This significantly reduces the risk of a brake-induced fall, and usually shortens the braking distance. Depending on the model, the motorcyclists can recognize that the ABS has kicked in through a gentle pulsing on the hand and foot brake levers.
Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
BSD is a system that monitors the adjacent lanes and assist drivers during lane changes. If there are other vehicles present in the vehicle’s blind spot zone, especially smaller vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles, drivers will be alerted to their presence either through a visual or audio-visual warning.
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