Volvo improves safety by 50 per cent
by Joanne Ahern • August 27, 2012 • Motoring News
The all new Volvo V40 has a plethora of safety options, including Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake; improved City Safety; the world-first Pedestrian Airbag Technology, and Lane Keeping Aid.
Volvo’s aim to eliminate serious injury or death in people travelling in its cars by 2020 is moving closer with the car manufacturer claiming current models are 50 per cent safer than those released in the year 2000.
Volvo Car Corporation based the claim on its own research as well as ‘several independent crash tests’.
It cited Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data which showed collision frequency in cars fitted with Volvo’s auto brake City Safety technology was reduced by 22 per cent. This was backed up by a similar study by Swedish insurance company, Volvia.
It also mentioned a conclusion from the EuroFOT research projects that adaptive cruise control and collision warning reduced the chances of crashing into a vehicle driving in front on the motorway by 42 per cent.
Senior Safety Advisor at Volvo Car Corporation, Thomas Broberg said: ‘Our own, extensive accident data base shows that the risk of being injured in one of our latest car models has been reduced with around 50 percent since the year 2000.
‘And we are working on new technologies that will bring the figure down even further.’
He added that Volvo research is conducted using real-life traffic conditions, saying: ‘Our massive database with input from actual road accidents helps us focus on the areas where new technology creates significant results in real-life-traffic’.
New research includes autonomous driving support, intersection support alerts and animal detection.
Autonomous driving support uses information from a camera as well as radar sensors to make sure the car automatically follows the one in front in slow moving traffic; intersection support alerts automatically applies the brakes for crossing traffic when needs be. Animal detection automatically brakes for large animals such as large stags and elks.
Mr Broberg added: “The risk of being involved in an accident or being injured in a Volvo is continuously reduced.
‘We keep on moving towards our safety vision that nobody should die or suffer serious injuries in a new Volvo car by the year 2020’.
See Volvo.ie for further details.
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