The safety belt is the single most important device for saving lives in road traffic accidents in the world today. It was invented by a Volvo employee almost 50 years ago. Through smart technology, the Volvo Group has continued its commitment to minimising injuries – as well as preventing accidents from happening in the first place.
In 1959, a Volvo employee invented the three-point safety belt. It was never patented because it was considered too important for the safety of drivers to be limited to one brand. In 1996, seven years before it was required by legislation, the Volvo Group was the first manufacturer to introduce an approved front-under run protection for heavy-duty vehicles and, in 2006, a similar device was introduced for buses. Volvo’s research has always reflected its firm commitment to the highest standards of safety, for people in and around its vehicles, but the current focus has shifted from injury prevention and reduction to accident prevention.
Drink driving is one of the most common and devastating causes of accidents. In 2007, Volvo Trucks was the first heavy vehicle manufacturer to offer factory-fitted alcoguards in its trucks. Another common cause of accidents is drowsiness. The Volvo Group is currently leading a national research initiative in Sweden, known as DROWSI, aimed at developing a system for detecting drowsy drivers at an early stage.
One warning system for drivers who are losing attention is Lane Keeping Support, introduced as an option in Volvo FH/FM trucks in 2007. If the truck starts drifting out of its lane, the driver is immediately alerted. A new generation of lane departure warning systems is one of the systems
being examined by the ongoing EU project PREVENT. The aim of PREVENT is to develop the safety systems of the future. They include a Curve Speed Warning system that is activated if a vehicle approaches a bend in the road at high speed, Collision Mitigation by Braking, whereby the vehicle takes over the brake if the driver’s response is not fast enough, All-Around Monitoring, to eliminate the risk of blind-spot accidents and a Start Inhibitor to prevent the vehicle from starting if something is blocking it. Researchers have started using “virtual safety belt” as an umbrella term to describe safety systems of this kind.
As the number of systems in a vehicle increase, the way in which it communicates and prioritises warning signals will become increasingly important. An information overload is not always conducive to improved safety. Another EU project, lead by the Volvo Group, is AIDE, which aims to identify the best adaptive solutions for human-machine interaction and to integrate and prioritise the way in which warnings are transmitted. The Volvo Group is also participating in a brand-new project, known as HAVE-IT, which is at the early stages of developing systems for highly-automated driving.
Despite an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road, one of the EU’s objectives is to halve the number of traffic deaths between 2001 and 2010. Ambitious objectives like this will become considerably more achievable as the level of co-ordination between the automotive industry and road authorities continues to improve. The Volvo Group’s contribution to a broad spectrum of national and international safety initiatives is a reflection of its commitment to enhancing, harmonising and consolidating safety on the road.