Designers answer Michelin’s vehicle safety challenge

GREENVILLE, S.C., — Road traffic injuries are on pace to become the third most prevalent cause of worldwide death or injury-related disability by 2020, according to the World Health Organization.

With that in mind, the world’s largest tiremaker launched the 2007 Michelin Challenge Design competition, titled “Sharing the Road.”

More than 260 entries in more than 50 nations were submitted for the challenge, which for this year focuses specifically on designs to enhance road safety for North America. The best of those entries will be displayed at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, January 13-21 2007 in Detroit.

Jurors for the Michelin Challenge Design included Dr. Anthony Stein, president and technical director of Safety Research Assoc., Inc. who notes that many major technological innovations — anti-lock brakes, vehicle stability control, energy-absorbing and deformable body structures, etc. — have been made in recent years by the auto industry.

Indeed, even though the number of passenger vehicles on the road has increased from 150 million to well over 200 million, the number of deaths on American roads has declined since it peaked at more than 50,000 people a year in the late 1970s.

In the trucking industry, “safety is very important,” says Ruben Perfetti, director of design for Volvo Trucks North America and a Michelin Challenge Design judge. “We are very conscious of the other people we’re sharing the road with and we approach it from a global perspective.”

Perfetti also noted that an emphasis on safety is one reason that commercial truck drivers undergo much more rigorous and regular testing, both in terms of medical exams and driving skills, than do the drivers of passenger cars.

“We must make the roads safer for everyone,” says Bob Miron, director of technical marketing for Michelin North America. “We know this is a real challenge, but we are confident that technology developers, innovators and companies with a passion for safety are joining with the design community to make vehicles that are practical, beautiful and safe.”