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SUBARU SUPPORTS PROJECT EDWARD TO RAISE AWARENESS OF ROAD SAFETY

As a pioneer and passionate advocate of automotive safety, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Subaru is supporting the Project EDWARD road safety initiative created by TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network). EDWARD is an acronym for ‘European Day Without a Road Death’ and it makes its aims as clear as any mission statement ever could.

TISPOL’s vision is to make Europe’s roads safer and more secure, with the overall key focus on reducing road deaths and serious injuries. The aim of Project EDWARD is to highlight a singular day where everybody heightens their awareness, skill and driving style in an attempt to eliminate all fatalities from road accidents on Europe’s roads. This year, that day is Wednesday 19th September. Encouraging all road users to reflect on their driving behaviours and attitudes, Project EDWARD promotes heightened awareness of road safety all year round.

Road users often create many of the circumstances that can lead to accidents themselves; through inconsiderate parking, poor observation, choosing to ignore rules or speed limits, or by taking risky short cuts. The idea behind Project EDWARD is to get drivers to pause and reflect on how they use the roads – to see if collectively we can make a significant contribution towards further sizeable and sustained reductions in road death and serious injury. As part of an industry wide push to halve all road fatalities by the year 2020, Project EDWARD is supported by all 30 TISPOL members and a growing number of well-known brands and road safety organisations.

Road safety, in both active and passive forms, has been a huge part of Subaru’s brand DNA from the outset, with Subaru being one of the world’s first manufacturers to crash test its vehicles – as far back as 1965 – when there was no requirement for manufacturers to do so. Fast forward to the present day, via a plethora of exceptional safety innovations, and you’ll find the Subaru XV top of the class, with the crash test experts at Euro NCAP naming it the safest small family car in Europe. Quite the accolade in a market characterised by continual innovation in safety technology.

At Subaru, we not only strive to push the boundaries of technology and safety in our vehicles, but we’re committed to making these innovations available as standard equipment, rather than an expensive option. Safety for the many, if you will. We develop safety features to go beyond the highest European standards, giving you peace of mind for every journey.

Subaru’s mantra of ‘Better Where It Matters’ couldn’t be more relevant to our safety protocols – and our unique Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive technology is where it all begins. Offering exceptional road-holding, this balanced platform means better traction, and therefore control, on slippery road surfaces. After all, the best way to avoid an accident is to stay out of harm’s way in the first place.

Subaru’s SUV range, plus the Impreza and Levorg, are fitted with EyeSight*, Subaru’s advanced driver assist technology. EyeSight comprises a pair of high-resolution cameras that constantly monitor the road ahead, interpreting the environment and scanning for potential hazards – whether that’s other cars, motorbikes, cyclists or pedestrians. Using six core safety systems, EyeSight can not only provide warnings of any impending hazards, but help you to avoid them, too.

Extra ‘eyes’ around the car come in the form of Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection (SRVD), which features Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. SRVD continually assesses rear blind spots for danger and can give warnings of an impending collision when you’re changing lane or reversing out of a parking space into a busy street. Add on top of these features LED steering responsive headlights, which allow you to effectively peek around the corner, whilst High Beam Assist helps you to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

With the 19th of September fast approaching, Project EDWARD reminds us that, collectively, we can all make a difference to road safety, just by changing a few small aspects of our driving style. Avoiding a collision in the first place is the best way to stay safe. By utilising your Subaru’s safety features, you can also help yourself and others around you avoid collisions out on the roads every single day of the year.

*EyeSight is not available on Forester 2.0i XE, 2.0i XE Premium and 2.0i XT Lineartronic models

EXPLORE THE RANGE

EXPLORE PROJECT EDWARD