Volvo Cars makes its groundbreaking, industry-first connected safety technology available across Europe as another step in its ambitions to improve traffic safety. The technology allows Volvo cars to communicate with each other and alert drivers of nearby slippery road conditions and hazards via a cloud based network in the E.V.A. initiative.
The E.V.A. initiative
According to Volvo, the EVA initiative shares more than 60 years of research gathered in more than 43,000 cars in real-life accidents with 72,000 occupants since the 1950s.
This collection of documents is the sample of the result of all Volvo research and safety development, some to which access has been limited, up until now.
Throughout the years, it has contributed to many innovative systems such as WHIPS (Whiplash Injury Protection System), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System), and numerous child safety products.
Volvo is now sharing this research by letting everyone download more than 60 years of research. They hope this will lead to safer cars for everyone – regardless of gender and size. “Because at Volvo Cars, we will always put people first.”
The beginning
Hazard Light Alert and Slippery Road Alert were first introduced in 2016 on Volvo’s 90 Series cars in Sweden and Norway. The features became available to Volvo drivers across Europe as standard on all new model year 2020 Volvos and were retrofitted on selected earlier models.
Sharing real-time safety data between cars can help avoid accidents. Volvo owners directly contribute to making roads safer for other drivers that enable the feature, while they also benefit from early warnings to potentially dangerous conditions ahead.
Malin Ekholm, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre
Safety research by Volvo shows that adjusting speeds to the actual traffic situation can radically reduce the risk for accidents. By alerting people to dangers ahead in a timely manner and allowing them to adapt with time to spare, connected safety technologies can support better driver behaviour and boost traffic safety.
With the launch of these features across Europe, Volvo Cars also reiterates its invitation to the car industry to join it in sharing anonymised data related to traffic safety across car brands. Sharing such data in real time can provide a strong boost to overall traffic safety and becomes more influential the more cars are connected. Since 2018, Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks have shared data to alert drivers of nearby hazards in Sweden and Norway.
The more vehicles we have sharing safety data in real time, the safer our roads become. We hope to establish more collaborations with partners who share our commitment to safety,
Malin Ekholm
On introduction, Volvo Cars’ systems were the first of their kind in the automotive industry. As soon as any equipped Volvo switches on its hazard lights, the Hazard Light Alert sends a signal to all nearby Volvo cars connected to the cloud service, warning drivers to help avoid potential accidents. This is particularly useful on blind corners and over the crest of hills in the road.
Meanwhile, Slippery Road Alert increases the driver’s awareness of both current road conditions and those on the road ahead, by anonymously collecting road surface information from cars further ahead on the road and warning drivers approaching a slippery road section in advance.
Invitation
Volvo announced it is making its safety knowledge easily accessible in a central digital library, which it urges the car industry to use in the interest of safer roads for all.
Source and photo credits: Volvo
