In close co-operation with the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) Allianz is firmly committed to improving safety standards for the driving public worldwide. Allianz utilize their engagement in Formula One™ since 2000 to raise public awareness for global road safety issues.
The Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) was founded as a full subsidiary of Allianz in Berlin in 1932. It has built an 80-year reputation as a successful accident and damage research institute. Initially providing successful Risk Management as well as accident and damage research in industrial technology, the AZT extended its successful program to cover vehicle technology in 1971.
Motor insurance customers have long trusted Allianz as a committed partner concerning safety and risk issues. Thanks to its high level of expertise, the AZT has also become the automotive industry’s go-to security research centre. The AZT is working in several national and international projects to improve safety and lower the number of fatalities on the roads. Engineers, scientists and craftsmen work closely together analyzing damages, determining accident causes and developing concepts for damage prevention.
Around the world, over 3000 people die in road accidents every day. For every fatality, there are ten serious injuries and, with the growth in road traffic, these numbers are expected to double by 2020. The AZT conducts crash tests every week, up to 90 per year, improving road safety for over 50 million motor insurance customers of Allianz and all other traffic participants. The lessons learned from these crash tests help to improve passenger protection for adults and children as well as traffic safety for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. A lot of knowledge about how and why accidents happen can be gained from research and a great deal of information has been channeled back to the automotive industry.
Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, Managing Director of the AZT says "The Allianz Formula One™ engagement has always been closely linked with our holistic view on safety. The AZT provides integrated accident research and consultancy to improve road safety standards. Based on our repair research we are also able to provide insights into risk-prevention related topics, such as limiting the extent of damage caused by car crashes."
The methods of ensuring safety during a Formula One™ race weekend, implemented by the sport’s sanctioning body FIA (Fédération International de l’Automobile), ranging from driver protection and circuit safety to crash standards, closely relate to the AZT’s holistic approach to minimizing risk and maximizing safety on roads of any kind. With every innovation that improves safety in Formula One™, there is the possibility of increasing road safety for drivers everywhere.
Using the global reach of Formula One™, Allianz and the AZT have developed a successful information program which has been implemented in several countries across Europe and Asia, highlighting the importance of safety on the Formula One™ tracks as well as on public roads. The communication focuses on the driver’s self-responsibility as well as on the responsibility of other motorists and points out the necessity of individual accident and damage-prevention. Heightened awareness means safer driving, which means fewer accidents and finally, fewer damages. The clear message from Allianz to all participants in road traffic can be summarized in two simple words: “Drive Safely”.