Abstract
Advancing motor vehicle safety remains a significant task for the future. Due to the raising awareness of fuel consumption in recent years and a global trend of urbanization the share of small vehicles is growing.
Current accident statistics prove significant improvement of vehicle safety over the last few years. This is the case for both small and large vehicles whereas stable passenger compartment is a prerequisite for occupant safety. The distribution of current safety systems by replacing older vehicles could significantly improve road safety. Governmental scrapping schemes (bonus programs) should include safety requirements (e.g. ESC) to accelerate such process.
Further improvements can be accomplished by systems for accident avoidance and mitigation (Integrated safety). Premium vehicles introduce such systems into the market and therefore enable wide market penetration. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication will deliver further improvements. Suitable standards and requirements need to be defined
Keywords: safety, small cars, accident statistics, accident avoidance/mitigation, scrapping schemes .