Volvo - safety leader
Pioneering motoring safety, Volvo has been constantly researching ways to make driving safer.
Latest inventions are implemented in a brand new S80:
Volvo Collision Warning with Auto Brake
… helps the driver to “see” people. A wide angle radar detects objects in front of and around the car. If a pedestrian is detected, red warning light is displayed on the HUD, followed by a warning sound.
If driver fails to react to those, assisted panic-braking is activated - it helps the slow reflexes driver brake more efficiently.
If driver does not brake at all, the car itself slows down (but no more than 24kmh).
Volvo Collision Avoidance by Auto Steering
… is an advanced version of Lane Departure Warning, which uses a camera to monitor car position relative to lane markers.
New system takes it a step further - it employs camera but also a radar to detect car position as well as other cars in the traffic.
Common situation when this is handy is a careless switching lanes - if a system detects other car approaching too fast, it will steer the car back to original lane.
I doubt it will be popular in Serbia (Italy, too) where cutting others in traffic is the way people drive.
Vehicle to Vehicle Communication
… is a way to inform other cars that an obstacle is on the road, for example. Communication between vehicles, and between vehicles and traffic surroundings, is a sure way to cut down a large number of today’s accidents.