HERE’s something for business car managers with an eye on their duty of car towards company car drivers.
Volvo has just been awarded ACFO’s Fleet Safety Initiative of the Year for the innovative Volvo Pedestrian Protection system, which scans the road ahead and alerts the driver if it detects the risk of an accident.
(ACFO (the Association of Car Fleet Operators) is the representative body for fleet operators. Small fleets from SMEs are involved as well, and so are leasing and contract hire companies. So one way or another they know a thing or two about running company cars.)
So how does the Volvo Pedestrian Protection system work?
A radar unit inside the car’s front grille detects approaching objects and assesses their risk to the car and its occupants.
In addition, the a camera behind the rear-view mirror identifies movement of objects and people – therefore anticipating the danger and warning the driver accordingly.
The initial audible warning is accompanied by a flashing light in the car’s head-up display – alerting the driver using light and sound. If the driver doesn’t react and the car still detects an impact is imminent, then full braking power is applied in order to bring the car to a halt.
Volvo has been at the forefront of automotive safety for decades, and this latest initiative is just a small part of Volvo’s Vision 2020 project.
In 2008, Volvo marked its ambition, stating: “By 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo”. The brand’s goal to create cars that will not crash, by eliminating the chance of driver error, is something it feels is important to address over the next decade.
In addition to the radar systems and cameras inside the car, the new Volvo V40 is the first car to feature a pedestrian airbag, which deploys from beneath the bonnet in the event of an impact. This cushions the pedestrian’s fall to prevent serious injury.