Citroen receives top safety award from brake

Citroen’s continuing drive to raise vehicle safety standards has once again been recognised, with the Company being awarded the Vehicle Manufacturer Safety Award in this year’s Brake Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence. Brake, one of the country’s leading road safety charities, holds this event to recognise those companies that work to reduce road casualties.

The recently launched Citroen C6, which incorporates a host of advanced safety features, was singled out for specific praise by Brake. Particular mention was made of its innovative Active Bonnet system - in the event of a pedestrian impact, the bonnet ‘pops up’ and away from the engine block to help minimise pedestrian injury.

Other notable safety features available on the new C6, which is the first car ever to achieve maximum Euro NCAP ratings for both pedestrian safety and adult occupant protection, include a Lane Departure Warning System, Directional Headlamps, a ‘Head-Up’ Display, ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Emergency Braking Assistance, nine airbags and Active Head Restraints - many of these features are also available on other Citroen models.

Jools Townsend, Brake’s head of education, says, “Brake believes vehicle manufacturers have a responsibility to continually research and develop innovations to help make our roads safer for everyone. We also believe that fleet operators have a responsibility to choose the safest possible vehicles for the sake of their drivers and the communities in which they operate. For these reasons we were delighted to honour Citroen, and in particular its groundbreaking C6.”

The rest of the recently rejuvenated Citroen range has also been commended. The C4 has scooped 5-stars from Euro NCAP for adult occupant safety and 4-stars for child protection, while the C5 remains the highest scoring car in its class for adult occupant protection. All four of Citroen’s superminis are also highly rated, while the C8 was the first large MPV in the UK to be awarded 5-stars for adult occupant protection.

In recent years, Citroen has become a byword for safety in the car world. Earlier this year the Company won the 2006 What Car? Safety Award in recognition of the industry-leading advances that it has made in setting new standards for occupant and pedestrian safety, while the C6 received the prestigious 2006 Innovation Award at the international Auto 1 Awards ceremony for its pioneering active bonnet system.