Volvo have always been renowned for safety and have now come up with three new advances in technology which look set to revolutionise the safety of our roads. Beginning with the new 2008 Volvo S80, V70 and XC70, Mobileye� debuts a first-ever combination of its advanced vehicle detection and lane detection technologies, all powered by the Mobileye� EyeQ� vision system on a chip. The three advances are:
- The worlds first Volvo Driver Alert Control (DAC) system. If the car spots a pedestrian, the car can apply the brakes automatically to reduce speed by up to 15mph to lessen the chances or severity of an accident.
- Volvo�s Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system. Using cameras and radar, the system monitors the car's position on the road and oncoming traffic. When it senses the car is wandering across a lane and into the opposite one, it will automatically steer the car back on course.
- The Volvo Collision Warning with Auto Brake (CWAB) systemBy communicating with each other, cars can warn one another where they are relative to each other. They will also be able to warn nearby cars if they have come across an obstacle or hazard.
Ready to React � Even if You Are Not
Research shows that nearly 80 percent of all road accidents are due to driver inattention within three seconds prior to the accident. In severe accidents, about 85% of drivers either did not brake at all or not to the fullest possible deceleration.
Volvo are yet to disclose when these advances will make into production vehicles. It's thought at least one of them will be offered within the next 18 months.