RoadSafe

MANUFACTURERS

Mondeo keeps an eye on safety

“An accident is all over in a fraction of a second, but what happens in that blink of an eye can mean life or death”

Accidents happen within the blink of an eye, which is why safety is at the heart of the Ford Mondeo, thanks to the manufacturer’s supercomputing resources.

Ford has used sophisticated technology to ensure vehicle occupants are restrained within the Mondeo’s ultrastrong safety shell, which is equipped with the company’s unique computerised Intelligent Protection System.

IPS, standard on all Mondeos, is a centralised network of sensors located at strategic points throughout the car that are linked to an unparalleled portfolio of safety features designed to protect all vehicle occupants.

IPS is the “safety eye” that keeps constant watch over the driver’s seat position and driver and passengers’ seatbelt engagement. If danger threatens, the system assesses the severity of the incident and activates the appropriate safety system in a split second.

Effectively, IPS measures the seriousness of the impact through its front and side sensors and automatically activates the required safety features.

Joerg Reim says: “An accident is all over in a fraction of a second, but what happens in that blink of an eye can mean life or death. It is in those few milliseconds – the critical moment of a crash – that the Mondeo delivers a level of protection to its occupants that no other competitor can match.” The Mondeo is billed as “one of the safest places to be” and the catalogue of safety features incorporated into the car and linked together through IPS includes:

• Dual-stage driver and front passenger airbags

• Front seat side airbags

• Side curtain airbags that descend from the headlining above the doors in a side impact

• Front seats feature anti-whiplash head restraints and anti-submarining seat bases

• Standard ABS with Emergency Brake Assist is designed to reduce emergency stopping distances by reinforcing the driver’s braking effort. When activated, the EBA system will automatically apply the maximum pressure until the driver releases the brake pedal (optional)

• Collapsible pedals – to help reduce the risk of leg injury, the pedals are designed to collapse in severe frontal impacts

• Front and rear three-point seatbelts with load-limiting retractors that release a small amount of belt to help reduce chest loading

• Moulded foam side-pushers help to reduce potential injury by spreading crash energy over a wider area. Located within each door, protective side impact beams help to minimise side intrusion

• A warning light sounds and an indicator appears on the instrument panel if driver or passenger forgets to buckle their seat belt

• Electronic Stability Programme (standard on V6) enables the driver to maintain control of the vehicle in critical driving situations. The sophisticated system senses when the car is deviating from the driver’s chosen line and automatically applies the necessary power and braking adjustments to correct its road position.

• Outer rear seats fitted with Isofix child seat mountings.

Survival training
More fleets must introduce specific policies relating to the behaviour of at-work drivers to ensure they remain on the right side of the law, according to Ford fleet director Mike Wear.

With the police investigating all road deaths as if they were unlawful killings, accidents involving at-work drivers will require companies to answer police questions in relation to working practices, the service and maintenance history of the vehicles and the workload of employees.

Such investigations could result in senior employees, such as fleet decision-makers, human resources and finance directors, as well as the company being culpable.

Mr Wear says: “Very few companies have policies on, for example, employee driving hours and the use of mobile phones while driving. It is clear from the legislation now being applied to at-work driving that the authorities will get tough with businesses that don’t have risk management strategies in place.”

Ford has a long-standing alliance with Drive & Survive, one of the UK’s leading fleet driver risk management organisations, to provide driver training to fleets. However, says Mr Wear: “While we strongly recommend to fleets that they undertake driver training and risk assessments with Drive & Survive – particularly in relation to new drivers, but also in relation to other staff – the uptake is disappointing, although it is on the increase.

“Fleet decision-makers acknowledge that risk management and driver training is important. But, when the direct and hidden costs associated with taking an employee off the road for risk assessment and possible driver training are raised, the issue is deemed less important.

“These are difficult issues for companies to overcome, particularly in the current economic climate. However, companies should think more widely and look at the potential costs of one of their employees being involved in an accident.”

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