Volvo has been at the forefront of vehicular safety over the years. Its cars have been regarded as the safest in the world and it has continued its pledge of safety with an aspiration to put a speed limit on all its cars of 112mph by 2020. At the same time, it will allow vehicle owners to set their own speed limits for anyone else who may drive their vehicle.
On top of its safety pledge, Volvo has pledged to release autonomous cars by the early 2020s. Combining its safety and technology aspirations, it has also unveiled plans to install new camera technology in its cars that can assist drivers and help to prevent accidents.
What is the technology?
Cameras monitoring drivers can sense driver intoxication or distraction and can even sense whether the driver is displaying signs of tiredness and fatigue. In-car technology will intervene to help reduce the risk of accidents by giving warnings to the driver. If the driver does not react to the warnings, Volvo’s on-call support service will dial in to speak to the driver.
The cameras and sensors can also react to vehicles stopped on highways displaying chapter 8 chevrons, which are available from specialists such as https://www.vehiclechevrons.com/, to ensure the driver is aware that there could be potential controlled speed limits on the roads.
Future view
With so many registered automotive injuries and deaths each year, as documented by parliament, this move by Volvo could be the influencer for other car manufacturers to follow suit and help bring the numbers down.
Some drivers may feel that this is taking too much control out of their hands and subjecting them to driving styles that do not suit them; however, if this technology comes to fruition, it would be hard for the whole industry to ignore it. Volvo was instrumental in improving automotive safety during the 50s and 60s, having developed the three-point seatbelt that has been adopted by most car manufacturers globally and has even been made a requirement in many country’s vehicle safety acts.
This announcement has largely gone under the radar; however, it is certainly something to keep an eye on. With the widely documented struggle in the car industry globally, this could help the market to pick up.