Volvo has almost always been a manufacturer of some of the safest automobiles on the roads in America. But, the Swedish automobile company has taken that reputation and built on it, recently announcing their goal to make death proof cars by 2020.
They plan to make their automobiles so safe by 2020, that they would prevent anyone from being killed or seriously injured. Obviously, owning a car like this would be great for not only your well being, but also your insurance.
Lex Kerssemakers, the CEO of Volvo Cars North America, explained to CNN.com that this isn’t just a bold, headlines-grabbing proclamation. If you meet Swedish engineers, they’re pretty genuine. They don’t say things when they don’t believe in it.
Volvo has been around for close to a century now. Starting out in the heavy equipment production industry, their automobile manufacturing division was sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1999, and then Zhejiang Geely Holding Group purchased it in 2010.
The company has made dozens of great safety milestones in its history, dating back to the mid-20th Century, including crumple zones, safety door locks, three-point safety belts, Whiplash Protection System, front side airbags and Driver Alert Control.
Volvo already has several cars in its lineup that are ranked among the safest in the world, with some models even claiming never to have a fatality occur in them. For years, they have been tracking how many people die in their vehicles in order to monitor their own safety results in order to improve their safety measures when they roll out new technology.
Autonomous Automobiles By 2020
Volvo expects all of their technology to come together to make the safest car in world history, as it promises to sell autonomous, self-driving cars by the year 2020. Several other automakers are planning similar models, which should greatly reduce motorist deaths, as well as auto insurance premiums and lawsuits.
Some of the great features of Volvo’s self-driving cars include:
Collision Avoidance: Sensors, like radars and cameras, detect upcoming obstacles in the car’s path and warn the driver, but will also automatically apply the brakes to either avoid or reduce the impact of the crash.
Pedestrian and Large Animal Detection: Sensors will detect both pedestrians, as well as larger animals like deer or moose, and they’ll force the car to automatically brake or slow down.
Adaptive Cruise Control: The driver will set a maximum speed and the car will detect other cars on the road and maintain a safe following distance, while applying both the brakes and gas for the driver.
Auto Lane Keeping Assist: The car will steer itself as it senses lane lines and road edges, keeping it within its own lane.
You won’t have to use Volvo’s self-driving driving mode in order to be safe, of course, as many of these systems will still be running in the background while you drive yourself. Since it will be a while until unsafe cars are finally off the roads–probably another quarter-century or so from now–bad drivers in other cars can still cause accidents. That means you might need a Houston auto accident law firm, like Fears Nachawati, in the future as well as the present.
If you are interested in learning more about these safe cars and what that could mean for your insurance benefits, give Fears Nachawati a call at (210) 858-5383.