Volvo Awarded International Safety Honor

Anthony Fontanelle
April 2, 2008

Safety-oriented Swedish automaker Volvo Cars received a prestigious safety award as a commendation for its commitment to preventing accidents. The automaker will be the first to install its low-speed technology dubbed “City Safety” as standard equipment. The technology will be available in Volvo XC60 later this year.

Volvo’s new technology aimed at avoiding low-speed collisions was given the “Traffic Safety Achievement Award” at the recently held World Traffic Safety Symposium at the New York International Auto Show.

“City Safety is yet another example of Volvo’s aim to utilize real world traffic situations to develop solutions to prevent accidents,” said Jonas Ekmark, head of preventive safety at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre.

The Swedish automaker said approximately 75 percent of all collisions are at speeds less than 18 mph. In half of those collisions, Volvo added, drivers do not brake before the collision because of insufficient concentration. If a vehicle is equipped with City Safety, the brakes will be prepared in times when the vehicle in front suddenly comes to a halt. This is because the technology assesses an impending collision and prepares the brakes. If the driver does not take action, City Safety will make the vehicle brake automatically. This is not the case with the conventional vehicles.

“With City Safety, we hope to eliminate whiplash injuries, to both vehicles involved in typical city driving low speed accidents along with eliminating vehicle body damages,” said Ekmark.

At speeds less than nine mph, City Safety can entirely avoid accidents. At speeds between 10-18 mph, the system applies brake force to reduce vehicle speed and helps reduce occupant injuries and vehicle damage.

The City Safety is just one of the innovative technologies commended by traffic safety specialists from the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The safety authorities rewarded various inventions and innovations that reduce the number of road injuries and fatalities.

According to The Weekly Driver, Volvo is currently in talks with some insurance companies in Europe regarding an insurance premium discount of up to 30 percent for cars equipped with City Safety.

The automaker, to protect its leadership in safety innovations, will continue to enhance Volvo parts and introduce innovations to the auto industry.

Source:  Amazines.com