VDA and Deutsche Verkehrswacht present new clothing for school crossing patrols
More safety due to safer cars and road traffic training
Frankfurt am Main/Berlin, 19 January 2009. For almost 20 years now the German road safety organization Deutsche Verkehrswacht (DVW) and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) have been working together to improve children's safety in road traffic. They focus on financing training and special jackets for the over 55,000 participants in school crossing patrols throughout Germany. "We regard this support as the ideal complement to other aspects of road safety: our vehicles are becoming safer and safer for pedestrians and occupants, while school crossing patrols help to improve safety on the way to and from school," explained Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). "Since the patrols were introduced, there has not been a single serious or fatal accident at the crossings where they operate," added Kurt Bodewig, President of the DVW and a member of the German parliament.
In 2009 the DVW wishes to start a targeted campaign to raise the number of youngsters in school crossing patrols again, Bodewig stated. Wissmann and Bodewig gave the go-ahead at the presentation of the new clothing for school crossing patrols which took place in Berlin. The jackets have bright reflective strips so that the participants can be seen in the dark even at a distance of up to 160 meters. The clothing is paid for by the German automotive industry. "The sponsoring by the VDA ensures that these committed helpers do not incur any costs for their voluntary work, for example for their training or special clothing," Bodewig explained. He added that the DVW uses the grants from the VDA to provide training and testing materials, buy clothing for the patrols, and organize the annual competitions both within the federal states and at national level, where the best school crossing patrols from the individual states compete.
"Despite considerable rises in the mileages driven by an increasing number of vehicles on the roads, the number of traffic accidents is now at its lowest level since 1953," Bodewig said. Also, in the year 2007 the number of fatalities came to 4,949, which was the lowest ever, and the 2008 figure is expected to show a drop of another 7 per cent. "The German vehicle manufacturers and suppliers have made a decisive contribution to this welcome trend with their ever more intelligent safety systems," the VDA president stressed. "What began with passive safety elements such as seat belts, airbags and energy-absorbing fronts is now being developed further with active systems such as anti-lock brake systems (ABS), the electronic stability program (ESP) and the brake assist system (BAS), which help to avoid accidents in the first place or at least to reduce their severity." The German automotive industry is also the world leader in pedestrian recognition using sensors, Wissmann added. And the commercial vehicle industry is also successfully developing sensor systems that monitor the danger zone and warn the driver when necessary. "Above all we want this to markedly reduce the number of accidents when vehicles are turning and in particular to protect cyclists better." Wissmann gave innovative lighting and night vision systems as more examples of vehicle technology that improves safety on the roads.
"Even if today we are proud of the low numbers of fatalities in road traffic, we are aware that every accident is one too many," Bodewig said. "This is a constant incentive for us to do more."