Volvo: safety news

6/12/14
Safety news: New footage of Volvo's crash-test procedures

More footage of Volvo's rigorous crash testing facilities for its upcoming XC90 replacement has been released and uploaded to YouTube. The new clip, which demonstrates a 'run off road crash' into a ditch at 50mph, highlights the level of safety provided to occupants in the new XC90. See below for the newest clip.

The latest in a spate of videos released by Volvo of some of the numerous crash testing procedures undertaken by the safety-obsessed car brand, the latest clip comes some months after other videos emerged; demonstrating a 'front offset' collision at 40mph, another with a more in-depth look at the safety features employed by Volvo to ensure the highest safety standards are maintained in their cars, and another with a look at those safety features and technologies in action.

Video sources: TestDriven, YouTube.
Videos: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KqIZiASGa0g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TmIPnD_ucKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=USgaZr0wo4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pivr7ZKmnDI

                                                                                                                                                              

19/12/14
Safety news: Volvo innovates with helmet-based cyclist protection technology

Volvo's commitment to safety continues to bear fruits, this time protecting cyclists from collisions. The system, incorporated into a cyclist's helmet, communicates with another sensor inside the car, and warns both users of a potential collision.

The technology will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and was co-developed with telecoms company Ericsson. App-based location sensors track the cyclist's movement and Volvo's City Safety system monitors the location of the car in relation to the cyclist, and warns the driver and the cyclist if a collision is likely, as well as other road users. The system also lets the cyclist know when they are in the blind spot of the vehicle, to ensure vigilance at all times. The system could also be linked to Volvo's autonomous braking technology, to further prevent incidents at low speeds.

Above: this technology isn't a first for Volvo - a one-way cyclist detection system was announced in 2013.

Martin Bayntun, Media Relations Manager for Volvo, when asked about the importance of safety in Volvo, said that "Volvo continues to lead the way in developing safe cars – from autonomous driving technologies to exterior pedestrian airbags and cyclist detection technologies to name just a few. In fact, Volvo has publicly stated its vision that no-one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by the year 2020 – a bold claim that no other manufacturer has made."

Not only does this support the brand's ambitious safety vision, but extends it to other road users too, just as Volvo did in 1959, when it shared the technology behind the three-point seatbelt in order for road deaths to be reduced; arguably the event which changed the way the world looked at Volvo from that point onwards, to that of a pioneer of safety, regardless of profit.


Interview material: original content obtained via email interview with M. Bayntun