The Volvo XC60 will come equipped with the company's City Safety technology. Can we also expect to see this car in India next year? We hope so!
Volvo’s new ‘City Safety’ system, which helps avoid or reduce the severity of low-speed collisions, won the Technology category at the 2008 Fleet World Honours Awards in London today. The City Safety technology will be introduced as a world-first standard feature in the new Volvo XC60, which should hopefully also be on sale in India next year.
At speeds of under 30km/h, City Safety uses laser sensor technology to detect vehicles up to 10 metres in front of the car’s front bumper, and reacts to vehicles in front that are either at a standstill or are moving slowly in the same direction as the car itself. If the gap between the cars continues to close and the driver remains inactive, the car applies the brakes automatically.
City Safety’s potential for reducing the risk of both personal injuries and car bodywork damage is significant, and in Europe at least, it may also help cut down on insurance costs. Volvo is currently involved in a dialogue with some insurance companies regarding lower insurance premiums for cars equipped with City Safety. Perhaps this kind of thing should be replicated in India as well – lower insurance premiums for cars that feature high-tech safety technologies?
Commenting on the award, Chairman of Judges George Emmerson said, ‘Volvo’s commitment to researching and developing groundbreaking technologies has led to a number of safety milestones. City Safety is among the cleverest so far, predicting when low-speed accidents will happen and preventing them from occurring. City Safety will offer fleets financial, operational and social benefits that deserve recognition.’
John Wallace, of Volvo, says, ‘With surveys indicating that 75% of all reported collisions take place at speeds of under 18 mph, and in 50% of these cases the driver has not braked at all before the collision, it’s easy to see the potential City Safety has in reducing incidents of this kind.’
