rm of natural voice communication in many assistance systems. For systems critical to safety, however, we're studying alternatives such as "intuitive influencing"-i.e. noises that the driver will always react to-and "subliminal suggestion," signals which the precondition the driver without being directly perceived by him or her. Possible innovations based on such technology are modified distance control systems, lane assistants, traffic sign recognition systems and others.Accidents must be avoidedA look at accident statistics reveals where assistance systems will be most successful: approximately 38 percent of all accidents occur as a result of the driver being distracted for some reason or because he or she has actually nodded off at the wheel. Almost half of all accidents occur as a result of a person misjudging the vehicle ahead, the driving dynamics, the weather or the road lane. On the other hand, technical problems or unexpected occurrences-such as obstacles appearing suddenly-play only a minor role. We are nevertheless working on assistance systems for these types of accidents as well. Protecting pedestrians in particular has a high priority in our efforts. The following are two examples of assistance systems for particularly frequent types of accidents: The PROTECTOR Electronic Crumple ZoneThe "thinking" vehicle brakes by itself in critical situations. If the driver reacts too slowly and therefore comes too close to a moving or stationary vehicle in front, PROTECTOR recognizes the dangerous situation and brakes by itself. An assistance function of this kind must include an analysis of the traffic situation. The active safety system becomes active only after the driver has failed to react. Using radar, the system records how far the truck is from an obstacle ahead. If the driver does not brake, PROTECTOR intervenes and either brings the vehicle to a standstill or slows it down to a speed that ensures a certain distance to the one...
