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Towards a Safer Automotive Society
Mazda believes it is only possible to deliver the enjoyment of its cars and of driving, embodied in our 'Zoom-Zoom'
concept, by also offering extremely high levels of safety. Our safety technology is being developed and evolved
continuously in order to make greater contributions to a safe automotive society.
Performance safety at the heart of automobile manufacture
Mazda places safety at the heart of its automobile manufacturing, as the
most important aspect of performance. For this reason, we are constantly
developing and evolving our safety technology and equipment. Mazda aims
for the highest levels of safety in its products, and in order to do this, we not
only meet all safety regulations set by different countries, but we have
established our own, higher standards of safety, and are constantly engaged
in research and development in order to attain these high standards.
Mazda's policy on safety development
Safety Technology as featured in our products
Active Safety Technology
We have incorporated 4Wheel-ABS, EBD and braking assistance to
our cars, to support improved braking, as well as Dynamic Stability
Control (DSC), which prevents the car from skidding sideways, with
the aim of both facilitating safe driving, and also increasing drivers'
abilities to avoid danger. We also use water-repelling glass and door
mirrors, and self-leveling discharge headlights, to increase visibility
for the driver.
In order to strengthen its research and development in the area of
safety, Mazda established a Safety Development Promotion
Committee in 1990, and has implemented the following safety
Image diagram of DSC effect
Car fitted with DSC
Based on an awareness that safe cars are one of the foundations of
a worry-free life, Mazda is committed to:
Researching the ways in which customers use our cars,
and the traffic environment in which they are being used
Car without DSC:
over-steering
(back wheels skid sideways)
Deepening research into safety technology, and reflecting the
results of this research in our products in a way that offers
our customers the best available appropriate technology.
Car without DSC:
under-steering
(front wheels skid sideways)
These safety policies give Mazda the basis for our research programs,
which include the development in the areas of 'Active Safety
Technology', which is allowing us to actively predict the occurrence of
traffic accidents, and 'Passive Safety Technology', which allows us to
reduce injury to persons involved in any accident that does happen.
The benefits of DSC only apply within the scope of the tires’ ability to grip the road.
Braking performance of
the RX-8 and Axela (Mazda3)
achieves highest evaluation ever.
The results of the FY 2003 Automobile Assessment, issued by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport on 27th April 2004 showed that the RX-8 achieved the
shortest stopping distance to date on a dry road in brake performance tests. The
stopping distance achieved was 38.6m, a significant improvement over previous
records.
The Axela also achieved the top results within the compact car class, giving a stopping
distance on a dry road of 41.1m . Mazda has achieved the ultimate balance between
response, linearity and stopping power within the braking system, and these results
show just how effective our 'Active Safety' policy, which has been incorporated into the
It spirit is possible of 'Zoom-Zoom' that weather conditions that goes at the into time all of our the cars, test may can have be. shortened the stopping distance slightly.
Glossary: 1
EBD
(Electronic Brake-force Distribution)
Increases the braking force on the rear wheels when a
car is full and significant weight is being born at the
rear of the vehicle.
Glossary: 2
Braking assistance
Allows a shorter stopping distance to be achieved
when the driver brakes suddenly, by adding power to
the force with which the brake pedal is pushed to stop
in an emergency.
Social & Environmental Report 2005