It only takes a few seconds: you reach into the glove compartment to take out a new CD and you lose track of what’s happening on the road. The car drifts out of its lane, or off to the side – I’d rather not describe what happens next.

      Your first response might be the simple one of saying: car drivers are only human, after all; they can be distracted or get overtired after a long journey. But this doesn’t happen to electronic systems. It’s unlikely that video sensors will be distracted and take their eyes off the road. If something should start to go wrong, these new vehicle eyes can give the driver a warning just in time. Or better still: the signals from the sensors can help to steer the vehicle automatically back to where it should be on the road. Both of these possibilities are in the pipeline – with Bosch’s driver assistance systems.

            To be less dramatic: driver assistance systems are not only about safety – they’re also about comfort and convenience. You can see this from a glance at the roadmap of our driver assistance products division. What we are planning there will also take pressure off the driver in perfectly normal, everyday driving situations. For instance, we are in the process of further developing the parking assistance system – in the direction of semi-autonomous parking control. ACC, our Adaptive Cruise Control, will in future keep your vehicle at a safe distance from the one in front even at low speeds – leading ultimately to fully automatic stop and go. The same system that makes driving easier also stops you from crashing into the car in front. The boundaries between comfort and safety are fluid. It’s the same with the video sensor applications referred to previously – they also take care of both areas. Development here is taking us from simple road or lane bound merchandise may...

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