Media Launch: Allianz Requires Better Security for Susceptible Street Customers in City Areas

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• Massive vs. small in European cities: 70% of city street deaths contain pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists.
• One-third of accidents between vans and pedestrians or cyclists may very well be prevented with present expertise.
• “We’d like a brand new seat belt” – Allianz proposes measures to get nearer to Imaginative and prescient Zero

MUNICH — On the twelfth Allianz Motor Day, Allianz known as for higher safety for pedestrians and cyclists in cities and made concrete calls for to politicians, automobile producers, and fleet operators. Contemplating the persistently excessive variety of street deaths in Europe, Klaus-Peter Roehler, member of the Board of Allianz SE, known as for improved security tools, particularly for vans and vans, on the Allianz Heart for Know-how (AZT) in Ismaning: “We’re seeing speedy progress in nearly all areas of expertise, so why are we failing to raised defend life on the roads? That is an unacceptable trajectory. One-third of all accidents between vans and pedestrians or between vans and cyclists may very well be prevented if vans utilized simply two well-known security measures. To deal with the challenges and traits I’ve talked about, car producers, politicians, freight carriers – and we as insurers – are known as to motion. We should merely do every little thing we are able to to guard a human life from unintended loss of life, no matter the fee is.”

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The Allianz Motor Day brings collectively specialists and media representatives from throughout the globe to debate the traits and challenges of future mobility. The theme for 2024 is “Massive versus small: How we have to higher defend susceptible teams in city areas.”

The EU goals to cut back street deaths to zero by 2050

Klaus-Peter Roehler stresses that the variety of street deaths within the European Union remains to be far too excessive, at round 20,400 in 2023: “The European Fee has declared that by 2050 the variety of street deaths in Europe is to be decreased to zero.” Sadly, we’re nonetheless a great distance from this “Imaginative and prescient Zero.”

To stay inside the goal vary, the variety of victims would have wanted to lower by 18% between 2022 and 2023, assuming a linear development. Throughout Europe, a discount of 1% has been achieved – and in Germany, the variety of deaths not too long ago elevated by 1.8%, totaling to 2,839 in 2023.

Cities are accident hotspots: 70% of street deaths in city areas are pedestrians or two-wheeled automobiles

To attain fast outcomes, it is sensible to concentrate on city transport: “Cities are the principle hotspots for accidents,” says Roehler. “Round 40% of deadly street accidents in Europe happen in cities; 70% of those victims are driving bicycles or different two-wheeled automobiles, or are pedestrians, together with youngsters and the aged – they want higher safety! The headline of this twelfth Allianz Motor Day – ‘Massive vs. Small’ – sounds bitter but it surely’s true. It’s about defending probably the most susceptible individuals from heavy automobiles.”

In accordance with a latest evaluation by the Allianz Heart for Know-how (AZT), automobiles utilized by parcel and supply providers are notably conspicuous: “As a fleet insurer, Allianz has made the next findings: vans utilized by these supply providers have a couple of 20% larger claims frequency than standard automobiles,” says Roehler. “They’re additionally extra prone to trigger private harm.” Drivers’ time pressures, the numerous stops, maneuvers in city environments, and the distraction attributable to the digital gadgets required for supply all contribute to this.

Roehler criticizes the truth that vans don’t presently have the identical variety of security techniques on board as vehicles, regardless of the EU’s Common Security Regulation 2 (GSR2), which is able to apply to new automobiles from July 2024 onward. “A minimum of, vans ought to have the identical security techniques as new passenger vehicles since they’re utilizing the identical extremely frequented city roads,” he says.

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Allianz research: One-third of accidents between vans and cyclists or pedestrians may very well be prevented with out there expertise

For heavy items automobiles and buses, the GSR2 should even be improved as quickly as potential, based on Roehler: Though some warning options of driver-assistance techniques at the moment are obligatory for newly registered vans, they aren’t sufficient to reliably forestall collisions with cyclists and pedestrians in blind spots, for instance. “Warning techniques aren’t sufficient,” says Roehler. “Efficient techniques can establish street customers within the blind spot and instantly set off emergency braking.”

A latest research by the Allianz Heart for Know-how (AZT) concluded that one-third of accidents between vans and pedestrians or cyclists may very well be prevented by lively braking help and improved visibility for the truck driver by means of maneuvering home windows and a decrease line of sight within the cab. These technical options are already out there available on the market – now they have to be applied throughout the board as shortly as potential.

“In the beginning, our efforts to enhance street security are about saving lives and decreasing ache and struggling.” With out diminishing this elementary conviction, Roehler provides one other rationale that can be utilized to win over transportation firms: “Avoiding accidents – even minor ones with out private harm – presents an financial benefit. It’s self-incentivizing for trucking firms as a result of a fleet with fewer restore and downtime prices is extra environment friendly, and the insurance coverage charges for such a fleet are additionally considerably decrease in comparison with a fleet with many accidents.”

Allianz attracts on its custom to make particular calls for of politicians and car producers

Roehler factors out that 40 years in the past, Allianz was already campaigning for the then controversial obligatory use of seat belts: In 1983, Max Danner, then Head of the Allianz Heart for Know-how, wrote a e-book titled “Seat Belt or Demise!” Roehler says, “Along with ‘Seat Belt or Demise!’ the next additionally applies: ‘Help Programs – or Demise!’ To achieve Imaginative and prescient Zero, we want, so to talk, ‘a brand new seat belt’!”

On the twelfth Allianz Motor Day, Allianz made three particular calls for to automobile producers and legislators to raised defend susceptible teams in city visitors.

Allianz’s Calls for

1. The security tools of vans and vans should exceed the present authorized customary. A minimum of, vans ought to have the identical security techniques as new passenger vehicles since they’re utilizing the identical extremely frequented city roads. Truck producers ought to make full use of the improvements already out there to assist forestall accidents. These embrace maneuvering home windows, lowered cabs, and automated emergency braking techniques when turning.

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2. Allianz advocates a Europe-wide harmonization of necessities and calls on the EU legislators to additional enhance present rules. For all new vans, superior driver help techniques to stop turning accidents ought to be made obligatory as quickly as potential. Warning techniques, as presently required by legislation, will not be sufficient. Energetic braking techniques that detect street customers within the blind spot and instantly provoke emergency braking ought to be obligatory. And these techniques should at all times be switched on.

3. Complete data-sharing as meant within the EU Information Act is required: if Allianz, as an insurer, is aware of which security techniques are put in and activated in vans and vans, Allianz can set risk-based charges and incentives.

About Allianz

The Allianz Group is among the world’s main insurers and asset managers with round 125 million* personal and company prospects in almost 70 nations. Allianz prospects profit from a broad vary of private and company insurance coverage providers, starting from property, life and medical insurance to help providers to credit score insurance coverage and international enterprise insurance coverage. Allianz is among the world’s largest traders, managing round 741 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance coverage prospects. Moreover, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz World Traders handle about 1.8 trillion euros** of third-party belongings. Because of our systematic integration of ecological and social standards in our enterprise processes and funding selections, we’re among the many leaders within the insurance coverage business within the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2023, over 157,000 staff achieved complete enterprise quantity of 161.7 billion euros and an working revenue of 14.7 billion euros for the group.

* Together with non-consolidated entities with Allianz prospects.

**As of June 30, 2024.

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Contacts

Christina Bersick
Tel. +49-89 3800 12940
Electronic mail: christina.bersick@allianz.com

Christian Weishuber
Tel. +49-89 3800-18169
Electronic mail: christian.weishuber@allianz.de

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