Volvo Safety
Volvo and Crash Safety Tests
Over the years, Volvo cars have been awarded consistently high crash safety ratings from around the world – which accounts for the company’s enviable reputation for safety innovation and crash safety.
Many people now use the Euro NCAP ‘Star’ ratings to judge a car’s safety standards. Though there are useful, Volvo have always taken a more rounded approach and to achieve this, the company utilises on-going research from 30,000 real-life accidents involving
Volvo cars alongside extensive tests, which exceed current legislation, in Volvo’s own Safety Centre – the most advanced in the world.
Alongside safety systems such as airbags and whiplash protection, which help limit the effect of an accident once it has taken place, preventive safety is a very efficient way to reduce the number of incidents in the traffic environment and is therefore an important area of Volvo Cars' research and development. Preventive safety includes the safety technologies that help the Volvo driver to avoid an incident in the first place. Examples of technologies include BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) and Collision Warning with Brake support.
The new generation of Volvo's offer yet more initiatives. Volvo’s “City Safety”, available on the new Volvo XC60 has already won awards including the American ‘Traffic Safety Achievement Award’ at this year’s World Traffic Symposium in New York.
Below is a timeline showing the developments in Volvo safety through the years.
The Volvo Safety Timeline
1944
Safety cage – Designed to work together with other safety systems to help reduce the risk of intrusion and thus give the occupants of the car as much residual space as possible in the event of an accident. Crumple zones also help to absorb energy by deforming in the event of a crash. Different grades of steel help to manage the force of the impact and therefore help to protect the occupant.
1959
Three Point Safety belts – The most important safety innovation in the history of the motor car (invented by Volvo Engineer Nils Bohlin), the seatbelt has now evolved into a sophisticated device with tensioners that activate within a few thousandths of a second in the event of a collision and tighten the belt for maximum protection. The front seat safety belts then release a little so that the driver and passenger are cushioned by the airbags in a controlled manner.
1970
Establishment of the Volvo Accident Research Team - Since 1970, Volvo's accident research team has investigated every collision in Sweden involving a Volvo: over 36,000 incidents. What the team learned led to the development of many safety technologies we take for granted today: airbags, whiplash protection, and crumple zones among them.
1978
Child Booster Seat introduced
1984
ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) – Brakes the wheels repeatedly (around 15 times per second) in order to prevent them from locking up under hard braking. This action helps the driver to retain the ability to steer during an emergency stop. When the ABS works, the driver can feel a constant pulse through the brake pedal: this is perfectly normal and is designed to let the driver know that the ABS system is working
properly. The ABS only comes into action when it detects that the wheels have locked up under braking.
1991
SIPS (Side-Impact Protection System) – In a side impact, a large partof the force is dissipated through the beams,pillars, floor, roof and other parts of the car’sbody thanks to the Side Impact ProtectionSystem. Side airbags are deployed in the event of a severe side impact.
1997
ROPS (Rollover Protection System) (On convertible models) - designed to protect occupants during a roll-over accident. For rear seat passengers, pop-up bars rest neatly behind the rear seat head restraints. As the name suggests, these pop up above the passengers' heads, so holding the car off the passengers if it rolls. Front seat passengers are equally well-protected by the sturdy A-pillars and windscreen frame which, reinforced with a special alloy steel, also form a roll bar. To ensure that all occupants are safely belted in the correct position in case of a roll-over, the car features pre-tensioners on all four seats that, in most roll-over situations, will eliminate any slack in a fraction of a second.
1998
WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System) – Activated in the event of arear-end collision, Volvo’s award-winningWHIPS system helps to reduce strain on thespine and neck during an impact, thusreducing the risk of injury.
2000
Inauguration of Volvo Cars Safety Centre in Gothenburg
2000
ISOFIX attachment for all child seats - Volvo's child seats are designed to use ISOFIX mountings which are available for all of the latest Volvo range. The ISOFIX system is the latest safety development in child seat technology and is designed to be simple to use and to help ensure the seat is always fitted correctly as the car's seatbelts are not used to secure the seat.
2002
RSC (Roll Stability Control) – Available on the XC90, this system uses a gyro sensor to monitor the car’s roll angle and speed. If the roll angle becomes critical, RSC automatically applies the brakes and/or the DSTC system (see point 6) to help the driver maintain control of the car.
2002
Development of the virtual pregnant crash test dummy - Volvo Cars is the world’s first car manufacturer to have created a computer model of a pregnant crash-test dummy. Known to safety researchers as ‘Linda’, this dummy simulates the body of a woman in the latter stages of pregnancy, when the risk of injury to an unborn baby is at its greatest. This computer model makes it possible to study the interaction between the seatbelt and a pregnant women in the event of an accident.
2003
IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System) - IDIS helps the driver prioritise the information in the car depending on the current driving situation. For example, IDIS delays incoming phone calls or other non-essential information if the driving situation is busy, e.g. during acceleration or a manoeuvre. As such, it functions pretty much like an electronic personal assistant.
IDIS consists of two parts: a workload estimator and an information manager. The workload estimator continuously monitors the driver’s activity by checking on such parameters as steering wheel movement, speed variations and the turn signal indicators. This information is processed and at a certain workload level, the information manager delays the incoming information.
2004
BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) - a camera-based system to detect the presence of vehicles in either rear blind spot. When a vehicle occupies the appropriate position, a light flashes to warn the driver. The digital camera mounted beneath the sideview mirror continuously monitors a 31ft. x 9.8 ft. area by taking 25 pictures per second, and then calculating changes between frames.
2008
City Safety - Volvo will be the first manufacturer to install City Safety as standard equipment in a vehicle. Launched at the end of 2008, the Volvo XC60 will be Volvo’s first car to have this system. Click here to find out more…
2009
The Three Point Safety Belt celebrates its 50th Anniversary by being awarded the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for outstanding achievement or innovation by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent. For more information on the Three Point Safety Belt, click here.
Safety as standard in every Volvo – Every new Volvo is fitted with an electronic immobiliser as standard, as well as a sophisticated alarm and double lock system, which can be operated from the remote control key fob. An electronic immobilizer makes it impossible to start the car without the correct key, while double locks, along with laminated side windows, make it more difficult to break in. If a thief does manage to get in the double lock system makes it impossible to open a door from the inside. In addition to this, an ‘Approach and Home’ safe lighting system is fitted to every model, as is a visible VIN number to deter thieves.
The future of Volvo safety – At the Volvo Car Corporation, the vision is to design cars that should not crash. In the shorter perspective the aim is that by 2020 no-one should be killed or injured in a Volvo. The “intelligence” of the car should support the driver, for instance by monitoring drowsiness or distraction. It can also warn the driver when the distance to other cars is too short. It is not until the driver fails to react and a collision is imminent or unavoidable , that the car “takes over” from the driver, for example by auto-braking. In the near future Volvo plans to introduce safety technologies that make it possible to detect and auto-brake for pedestrians and even auto-steer away from oncoming cars.
For more information on Volvo Safety visit: www.volvocars.co.uk/safetybeyondstars