ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in a comparative international context changes that suggest a recent development of safety consciousness in governments, the auto industry and ordinary consumers and the influence of a safety race on automobile design. It proposes that the changes constitute a fourth age of the automobile, marked by government intervention on an international scale, revolutionary advances in crash protection and avoidance technology, and consumer demand for safety features. Social and technological changes that emerged in the third age of the automobile produced a safety race and safety consciousness that is in the process of transforming the world of automobility. However, other aspects of the driving system, especially the built environment needs to be reformed in order to conform to the outlook of Vision Zero. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC), for example, "helps the driver to keep the vehicle under control in critical maneuvering situations".
