New awareness activity launched to promote accident-avoidance technologies

Creation date: 03 October 2006

A major new drive for improving awareness of intelligent vehicle systems and their road safety benefits was announced in Helsinki 28 September 2006. This new platform to promote awareness brings together stakeholders from the public sector, automotive suppliers and users. "We have for a long time emphasised the importance of user awareness in the take-up of the new car safety technologies," said Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission, responsible for Information Society and Media. "Now we have concrete evidence that users' knowledge of new technologies needs improving. This is why I welcome the launch of this new platform for promoting user awareness."

The announcement of the new platform was made at a high-level meeting of the Commission's i2010 initiative - a European Information Society for growth and jobs - in Helsinki. The meeting was opened by Commissioner Reding, together with Ms Susanna Huovinen, Minister of Transport and Communications for Finland. “Intelligent vehicle systems can make a major contribution in solving our most pertinent transport problem, namely road safety, where Europe still has more than 41,000 deaths per year,” noted Mr Rosario Alessi, FIA Foundation Chairman. “It is our job to get these systems to the users as quickly as possible. These systems save lives, but you need to know they exist to ask for them."

Further information here.