The world's roads are getting more crowded. Increasing traffic heightens people's need for safety. Although the number of fatal accidents has decreased steadily worldwide since 1970 despite the exponentially growing number of vehicles, every accident is one accident too many. Vehicle development focuses on driving safety, collision avoidance and protection during accidents.

As a partner of the AKTIV (Adaptive and Cooperative Technologies for Intelligent Traffic) research initiative, we developed a new driver assistance system that helps the driver stay in his or her own lane and brake at the right time in congested traffic in badly marked and narrow areas. By using a combination of radar and camera technology, the construction site assistance detects lane limits, road users in front of and to the side of the vehicle as well as cars pulling in and out of the lane in front of the vehicle. The system then guides the driver intuitively towards the middle of the lane by means of feedback to the steering wheel, warns of the threat of rear-end accidents and engages active hazard braking in an emergency.

Employing a new technology, we are the first supplier in the world to offer a high-quality truck emergency brake assist with just one single sensor, which cuts costs substantially. The emergency brake assist recognizes standing obstacles on the road and provides the driver with an early warning of a rear-end collision. If the driver does not react appropriately, the system automatically triggers emergency braking. The sensor is used in a major German manufacturer's range of commercial vehicles. Continental is therefore supplying an elementary component for the early recognition of standing hazards and thus the prevention of rear-end collisions, which account for a large share of fatal truck accidents each year on highways.