Volvo Steps It Up to Prevent Impaired Driving and High-Speed Crashes

What is Volvo internationally know for? Safety!  And the company continues to create some of the safest vehicles in the world.  Its goal is to eliminate all deaths of occupants in Volvos who are involved in a motor vehicle crash.  That’s a tall order, but it keeps moving forward.

Impaired Driving

A notable example of Volvo’s ongoing commitment to safety is its installation of in-car cameras to detect distracted driving, as well as driving when impaired by alcohol or other drugs.  The cameras are designed to detect slower reaction times, when the driver’s eyes are closed, and long periods of time when the driver does not turn the steering wheel.  Upon detecting a potentially unsafe driver, the vehicle will alert the manufacturer’s “Volvo on Call” assistance service.  The system can even slow the vehicle down, and bring it to a safe stop, if needed.

Speeding

A second example is Volvo’s commitment to reduce the severity of crash impacts by limiting a vehicle’s speed.  Starting in 2020,Volvo will limit the top speed of all its vehicles to 112 mph.  For contrast, 131 mph is the current maximum speed of the Volvo XC90 SUV, the company’s top model.  While dropping maximum speed by 19 mph may not seem like a big step, remember that reducing the speed at a crash impact by only a few miles per hour can significantly reduce injuries to vehicle occupants- crash severity increases exponentially as speed rises.  Volvo’s solution: keep the speeds lower, and keep occupants safer.

Keep at it, Volvo!

More information can be found at:

https://www.narcity.com/news/cars-in-canada-will-now-be-built-with-in-car-cameras-to-detect-intoxicated-and-distracted-driving

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/03/04/volvo-112-mph-top-speed-limit/