Even the most attentive driver has to blink, and in that time Ford’s Active City Stop low-speed collision avoidance technology, due for introduction on the new Fiesta, will capture and process 15 images of the road ahead in its search for potential hazards.

Active City Stop uses a sophisticated light-detecting and ranging sensor to scan the road ahead 50 times every second – more than twice the speed of the movie industry standard frame rate – to help prevent collisions at speeds up to 10mph, and help reduce the severity of impacts at speeds below 20mph.

“Urban areas are breeding grounds for low-speed accidents caused by drivers failing to notice that the car in front has stopped,” said Florian Schweter, new Fiesta Active City Stop development engineer, Ford of Europe. “High traffic volumes, lots of potential distractions and slow-moving, stop-start traffic mean Active City Stop can provide a much-needed extra eye on the road.”

Ford vehicles fitted with Active City Stop qualify for a 15 per cent discount deducted from the first annual motor insurance premium with Ford Insure.  Ford Insure is the official motor insurance product from Ford.

Each year more than half-a-million people are injured in car crashes in cities in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain alone. Of these, approximately one-in-eight are hurt in rear-end shunts, the type that Active City Stop can reduce in severity or avoid altogether. Active City Stop constantly monitors the gap to vehicles in front, calculates the risk of hitting a stationary or slow-moving object and pre-charges the new Fiesta’s brake system to deliver maximum braking response. If the driver does not respond, either by braking or evasive steering, the system simultaneously applies the brakes, reduces engine torque, and activates the rear hazard lights. First launched on new Ford Focus and ordered by nearly 5,000 UK customers to date, Active City Stop is already available on Ford C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and the new Ford B-MAX. It received a Euro NCAP Advanced reward on Focus in 2011.

“Active City Stop is designed to offer additional security for Ford drivers and fellow road users,” said Schweter. “Automatic application of the brakes is a last-ditch response and the system is carefully designed to minimise the potential for inappropriate application. We hope our customers will never need this feature but we believe it gives city drivers in particular peace of mind to know it is there.”

Active City Stop is offered as part of an optional Driver Assistance Pack on Fiesta.  This pack also includes rear parking sensors and powerfold mirrors and is priced from £250.