2019-03-04 11:00
Volvo has announced it will electronically limit the top speed of all its cars to 112mph from 2020, in a bid to reduce the number of accidents where speed is a factor. The speed restrictor forms part of the firm’s safety push towards its stated aim that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by the end of the decade.
In addition to limiting the outright top speed of its new cars, Volvo plans to introduce smart speed control and “geofencing” technology on its future models to automatically limit speeds around hospitals and schools. Whether or not the technology will be fitted to new Volvos only, or retrofitted to the firm’s most recent models, is yet to be confirmed.
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According to Volvo, above a certain speed, driver assistance technology is no longer effective at preventing serious injury or death in the event of an accident. The Swedish firm quotes figures from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration showing that, in 2017, 25 per cent of all traffic fatalities in the USA were caused by excessive speed.
Volvo also plans to tackle the issues of driver intoxication and driver distraction, both of which it recognises as equally serious causes of death and injury on the road. The firm will discuss its ideas for these safety concerns at an event in Gothenburg later this month.
Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars, said: “We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver’s behaviour, to tackle things like speeding, intoxication or distraction. We don’t have a firm answer to this question, but believe we should take leadership in the discussion and be a pioneer.”
What are your thoughts on Volvo’s planned speed restrictor? Let us know in the comments section below…
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