Top 10 Volvo Safety Features

Top 10 Volvo Safety Features

Volvo has a well-deserved reputation for safety in its cars. The Swedish manufacturer has increased safety features over the years, and the current range of automobiles certainly lives up to the firm’s heritage. Marketed as one of the safest car makers, Volvo continues to strive for improved safety features and much of its research and development budget still goes into safety. As far back as 1948, Volvo innovated the use of laminated glass to protect drivers from shards. Ten years later, a Volvo engineer introduced the world’s first three-point safety belt. During the 1990s, Volvo was also ahead of many other car makers when it came to upgrading airbags, using systems like SIPS to protect passengers from side-on impacts. Anyone considering purchasing a Volvo model can expect an array of safety features included.

Volvo Safety Features in Detail
Some of the safety features that Volvo uses have been innovated by in-house engineers. Others are systems which have been developed by other car makers, but taken on within Volvo’s own designs.

1. Blind Spot Information System
The Blind Spot Information System - or BLIS for short - was first used by Volvo in its cars in 2001. Primarily designed for use on the highway, BLIS detects vehicles entering the car’s blind spot with a side-view camera that is mounted on the mirror. The system simply alerts the driver to a car in the blind spot with a light. Volvo upgraded BLIS to work over 70 yards away in 2012.

2. Personal Car Communicator
In 2006, Volvo launched this system in its new S80 model. It was designed to allow for a safe remote control entry of the car. Before entering the car, the driver can review the security levels of the vehicle, for instance whether the alarm has been set or whether the car has been locked. It also warns if someone is hiding in the car.

3. Pedestrian Detection with Auto Brake
Launched in 2010, this system tells the driver if a collision with a pedestrian in front of the moving car is likely. The system, which was first fitted to Volvo S60s, will take over and automatically apply the car’s brakes if a person is detected.

4. City Safety
Launched with Volvo’s XC60 back in 2008, this system is designed to assist drivers at low speeds and in queuing traffic. When a car fitted with the system is traveling at 19 mph or below, the brakes will be automatically applied if any form of obstruction is detected in front.

5. Pedestrian Airbag
Fitted into the A-pillars and the lower part of the windscreen, this system is designed to enhance safety if there is a collision with a pedestrian. It was first used in 2012 in the Volvo V40.

6. Distance Alert
Designed to keep a good gap between vehicles on the road, this system was first launched by Volvo in 2007 for their S80, V70 and XC70 models. The system continuously checks the distance from car to the vehicle in front and lights up if the gap becomes shorter than that which the driver has specified.

7. Cyclist Detection with Auto Brake
Another system that applies the brake automatically to assist the driver, this system was launched by Volvo as recently as 2013. The safety feature will start to work if a collision with a cyclist who happens to be heading in the same direction as the car is thought to be imminent.

8. Cross Traffic Alert
This system was designed by Volvo to help drivers negotiate parking lot spaces safely. Introduced in 2012, it alerts the driver to cars that are approaching from the side. The system is ideal for when the car is reversing out of a parking space and the view of other cars is obstructed.

9. Lane Departure Warning
A similar system to that used by other car makers, Volvo’s lane departure warning system was launched for the S80, V70 and XC70 models in 2007. The safety feature warns the driver if it thinks there has been an unintended departure from the lane that is being driven in.

10. Whiplash Protection System
Launched by Volvo in 1998, this system protects the necks of the occupants of the car if they are unlucky enough to suffer an impact from behind. It works by cushioning the backrest and reinforcing the headrest of each seat.