Statement from Toyota Motor Europe, supporters of the European Red Cross Road Safety Campaign 2005

“As a major vehicle manufacturer, Toyota bears a particular responsibility toward road safety. Toyota’s ultimate goal is reduce traffic accidents, deaths and injuries to zero. To accomplish that, we must strive for genuine sustainable mobility and break new frontiers in the areas of active and passive safety while closely cooperating with all of the stakeholders in the road safety issue,” said Mr. Piet Steel, Vice-President, External Affairs, Toyota Motor Europe.

Toyota’s vision for sustainable mobility can be summed up in two words: Zeronise and Maximise. Zeronise embodies our aim to reduce the harmful effects of automobiles on the environment – including traffic accidents, carbon dioxide and exhaust emissions – while Maximise represents the goal of providing ever-greater comfort, fun and excitement in our vehicles.

Toyota’s overriding view is that all stakeholders in the road safety debate have a responsibility to help minimise the frequency of road accidents, and when they do happen, lessen their impact. We believe that each step in creating safe vehicles must consider three core factors: people; vehicles and the driving environment. Each affects safety in different ways under different circumstances. Safety cannot be achieved by improving the vehicle alone, it also requires people to drive more safely and for there to be safer roads.

Toyota is working on two fronts to improve the safety of its vehicles: passive safety and active safety.

Passive safety is aimed at protecting drivers and passengers from injury. Front, side and curtain airbags have now been introduced across car ranges, along with pretensioners and force limiters. Toyota is not just reducing life-threatening injuries but also less severe injuries that can impair the quality of life. More advanced airbag systems, among others, such as knee and chest/abdomen/waist airbags are being introduced. Indeed, Toyota was the first manufacturer to introduce knee airbags in a high volume model – the Avensis.

Toyota is also aiming at the larger goal of preventing accidents from occurring in the first place (active safety). We believe active safety measures have played and will continue to play an increasingly important role. Technologies such as ABS, Traction Control, Brake Assist and Vehicle Stability Control (known as VSC) have made it possible to use electronic systems to assist drivers in maneuvering through many kinds of road conditions and situations. The development of new technologies such as Toyota’s Pre-crash technology and VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) will greatly contribute to saving many lives, and that reason alone makes the investment worthwhile.

Customer understanding and acceptance is essential, which implies affordability, amongst other characteristics, and the contributions of many stakeholders. This must include close cooperation and partnership among governments, public institutions, manufacturers and suppliers, not to mention the essential role played by law enforcement.

Toyota is pleased to be able to partner with the European Red Cross for its 2005 road safety campaign, enabling us to further support our aim to reduce traffic accidents, injuries and deaths to zero (Zeronise).

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