An absolutely core component of driving safety is celebrating its 25th anniversary: the ABS antilock braking system.

More than two-thirds of all new vehicles worldwide are now fitted with ABS and in Europe every car from the middle of 2004 will be fitted with ABS. The system - launched first by Bosch in 1978 - prevents a vehicle's wheels from locking under hard braking, so that the driver retains control of steering even in such extreme situations. ABS significantly improves vehicle stability and usually also shortens the braking distance.

From the beginning of the 20th century, engineers had been trying to prevent wheels from locking - not just on cars, but also on railway vehicles and even airplanes. It was finally in 1978 that passenger cars were equipped with the Bosch ABS: at first the Mercedes-Benz 'S'-Class and shortly thereafter also the BMW 7-series.

Since then, Bosch has continued to improve the ABS brake control system: Traction Control Systems (TCS) stop the wheels spinning under hard acceleration and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) acts on the engine and brakes to reduce the risk of skidding in extreme situations.