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Press release #Connected mobility
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Bosch software keeps people from harm

Wrong-way driver alert system deployed in 13 European countries

  • Some 15 app vendors reach millions of users with Bosch wrong-way driver alerts.
  • Smartphone apps alert the wrong-way driver and nearby motorists in seconds flat.
  • Every year, German radio stations alert listeners to wrong-way drivers on freeways nearly 2,000 times.
Joern Ebberg

Joern Ebberg

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Stuttgart, Germany – Wrong-way drivers are a terrifying prospect. The danger of encountering a wrong-way driver on freeways is not as uncommon as many might think. In Germany alone, traffic news channels broadcast roughly five wrong-way driver alerts each day, or nearly 2,000 each year. Just a few thousand lines of software code can protect human lives – Bosch is demonstrating that with its cloud-based wrong-way driver alert system. This lifesaving cloud service not only alerts the driver who is heading in the wrong direction; it also warns other motorists in the danger zone, sending out push notifications in 13 European countries at lightning speed. Initially integrated into the radio apps of the German broadcasters Antenne Bayern and Rock Antenne in early 2018, the wrong-way driver alert already has 400,000 unique users and is primed for more. Some 15 navigation, streaming, and radio apps now feature the app function developed by Bosch. And with that, the service is able to reach several million people in Europe – from Ireland to Italy and Portugal to Poland. “No more road fatalities because of wrong-way drivers – that is Bosch’s goal,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. Bosch has also developed a software module for this digital lifesaver. The only one of its kind worldwide, it integrates the alert into vehicle infotainment systems.

No more road fatalities because of wrong-way drivers – that is Bosch’s goal.

Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH

Software sweeping the world

Swelling ranks of navigation services, radio stations, and news portals are integrating Bosch’s cloud-based wrong-way driver alert into their apps, dispatching out a digital guardian angel to keep users safe on every journey. With 8 million downloads and a million monthly active users on average, the Karta GPS navigation app marketed by the Portuguese startup NDrive is one of the world’s most popular cellphone apps of its kind. People in 140 countries use it not only to find the fastest way to their destination, but also – thanks to Bosch and cloud connectivity – as a wrong-way driver alert. The radio and streaming app provided by bigFM, which has more than half a million unique users, has featured Bosch’s app function since January 2019. Radioplayer.de, radio FFN, radio rainbow, rainbow 2, radio RPR, TCS, BikerSOS, and many others are offering this service to their app users. More partners are waiting in the wings, including the makers of the Focus Online, Calimoto, and V-Navi smartphone apps. “We want to roll out the Bosch wrong-way driver alert across the board. Every road fatality is one too many,” Heyn says.

We want to roll out the Bosch wrong-way driver alert across the board. Every road fatality is one too many.

Dr. Markus Heyn

Smart connectivity software

Nearly one-third of such incidents end after the wrong-way driver has traveled only 500 meters – in the worst case with fatal consequences. To detect whether a car is joining the freeway in the wrong direction, the cloud-based function compares the vehicle’s actual movements with the permitted direction of travel. Information about this is stored in a database. The driver simply has to have the app open in the background for this to work. Any driver who mistakes an off ramp for an on ramp is alerted by push notification. At the same time, oncoming cars in the vicinity are alerted to the danger. The more connected vehicles there are, the closer-knit the invisible safety net will become. This, in turn, will enhance the effectiveness of wrong-way driver warnings. Bosch will use a new software module to integrate the wrong-way driver alert system directly into future vehicles’ infotainment systems. The dash display will then give the driver a heads-up within just a few seconds. Bosch is talking to many automakers who want to offer the wrong-way driver alert as a standard feature.

Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, its 2018 sales came to 47 billion euros, or 60 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector pursues a vision of mobility that is accident-free. emissions-free, and stress-free, and combines the group’s expertise in the domains of automation, electrification, and connectivity. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are Injection technology and powertrain peripherals for internal-combustion engines, diverse solutions for powertrain electrification, vehicle safety systems, driver-assistance and automated functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, repair-shop concepts, and technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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