U.S. automakers are stepping up installation of anti-lock braking systems at a faster rate than predicted just two years ago, according to Bosch, a German supplier of four-wheel ABS.
About 40 percent of domestically produced 1992 cars will be equipped with ABS, according industry figures, up from 13 percent of 1991 domestic cars and fewer than 1 percent just five years earlier.ABS prevents a car's wheels from locking up in hard braking and helps drivers maintain steering control, which is often lost when brakes lock.
Two years ago, Bosch had predicted that 50 percent of all cars built in the United States would be ABS-equipped by 1995 and that virtually all domestic models would offer ABS by the year 2000.
According to Robert S. Oswald, president of Robert Bosch Corp.'s Automotive Group, the more rapid and widespread adoption of ABS is directly tied to the automakers' commitment to safety, as well as a response to the concerns of customers, who are calling for increases in safety features such as ABS and air bags.
"Unlike air bags, which, along with safety belts, are absolutely vital to the prevention of injuries in the event of an accident, ABS has the potential to prevent many of these accidents and save thousands of lives, which cost drivers and the economy as a whole billions of dollars each year," Oswald said.
Studies conducted in Europe, where ABS-equipped vehicles have been the norm for more than a decade, indicate that widespread ABS usage might reduce accidents by 10 percent to 15 percent. Applying that to the United States, such a reduction could result in the saving of some 6,500 lives and $15 billion.