Driving Environment

Safer Roadways

The driving environment includes physical infrastructure (roads, signs, traffic lights, etc.) and the condition and maintenance of that infrastructure. Increasingly, information technologies play a role in the driving environment – for example, by controlling the timing of traffic lights. All of these factors have a significant influence on traffic safety.

Safety challenges related to the driving environment vary between countries and between developed and developing economies. Around the world, we work with government agencies and private-sector partners to promote road safety.

In Europe, Ford has been taking a leadership role in two major accident research activities, in cooperation with public bodies. These activities are the German In-Depth Accident Study (GIDAS) and the United Kingdom's Co-operative Crash Injury Study (CCIS). GIDAS is a statistically representative, "on-the-spot" study that allows for the analysis of pre-crash factors and pedestrian impacts. The CCIS is a retrospective, statistically stratified study with a particular focus on seriously injured occupants. Both studies are jointly funded by government and industry, demonstrating a partnership approach to understanding real-world safety issues. Ford sees these two different but complementary studies as key components of its policy of data-driven decision making, both internally to ensure that our safety strategy is targeted at the most productive areas, and externally to help governments focus their rulemaking attention on genuine safety issues, where they can make a difference.

In late 2004, working in partnership with General Motors, Honda, Michelin, Renault, Shell and Toyota, Ford helped to found the Global Road Safety Initiative (GRSI). The purpose of the GRSI is to transfer best practices, with the objective of reducing accidents and building capacity in developing countries to manage road safety. Projects include educational outreach to increase safety belt and helmet usage rates, and training aimed at improving roadway design.

Ford and other participating companies have pledged a total of $10 million to the GRSI over five years to fund important road safety projects in China, Brazil and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The projects are being implemented through the Global Road Safety Partnership, an existing organization founded by the World Bank and national governmental aid organizations. Ford serves on the Partnership's Executive Committee and is actively involved in project execution. The projects rely on delivery through local organizations, so those organizations can build capacity and continue their work long after the projects are completed.

Also in China, Ford is cooperating with the China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security to launch a new project that aims to provide accurate and scientific data for research into road safety in China. As part of that project, Ford took part in a workshop in Shanghai in January 2007 that brought together road safety experts from the United States, Europe and China to exchange information and experience, as well as to define a road safety project that will help establish a "glide path" for rapidly reaching an accident reduction target.

In addition, Volvo Car Corporation, the Volvo Group and CATARC have launched a project on traffic accident research in China to analyze accident statistics. The aim is to assist decision makers in prioritizing among traffic safety activities.

In Australia, the Australian National Crash In-depth Study (ANCIS), of which Ford is a founding member, is an unprecedented collaboration among major Australian vehicle manufacturers, federal and state governments, insurance companies and automobile clubs. Established in 1999 and managed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre, ANCIS provides a means for collecting detailed information about representative automobile crashes in Australia, to examine crash and injury trends and monitor emerging problems. The study's objectives have recently been expanded from a focus on vehicle crashworthiness to include crash involvement factors such as infrastructure and driver behavior. The unique arrangement of stakeholders involved in ANCIS has resulted in a much greater understanding among all parties of the systemic nature of road crashes. Ford continued to support ANCIS during 2008.