- David Hort
Safety technology: what the future holds
It’s never too easy to predict the future but in terms of safety technology, it’s getting easier.
That’s because clusters of technology that make cars smarter and able to communicate with their immediate environment are converging. Cars that talk to one another, that recognise road signs, predict crashes; prevent them and prepare for the worst case scenario.
Cars that are controlled by onboard computers that will, one day soon, remove the need for a driver at all. Cars that can react faster than a human ever could. Cars that nobody will ever be killed in.
It’s a startling claim, but Volvo says that by 2020 no-one should ever be killed or seriously injured in one of its cars.
We spoke to Thomas Broberg, senior technical advisor for safety at Volvo, to see just what the future holds for safety technology and Volvo in its pursuit of that 2020 goal.
Vision 2020
2020 is just nine years away, but Volvo is sticking to its guns regarding its safety predictions with Broberg confident that the target is a realistic one.
“Yes it’s challenging but it’s also realistic," says Broberg. “We know what to do to get there because this isn’t a recent decision from Volvo but one that we’ve been working towards for more than four decades."
Over the past 40 years, Volvo has been collecting information from more than 40,000 accidents involving Volvos; working off the mantra that knowledge saves lives.
That gives some indication of the Swedish manufacturer’s stance on safety; it’s incredibly thorough, detailed and, apparently, realistic.
“Vision 2020 is part of a crash free direction for Volvo, rather than the end point. By 2020 we believe that nobody will be injured or killed in a new Volvo, but that’s not to say that they won’t be involved in crashes," said Broberg.
“Therefore it’s important to do everything we can to make sure that we reduce the chances of a collision and reduce the effects of that collision."
Broberg points to the latest S60 as an embodiment of that point. The exec saloon comes equipped with all of Volvo’s latest safety technology including City Safety, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection and a Lane Departure Warning system, but it also comes with rollover protection.
“You wouldn’t normally expect a saloon to come with rollover protection because it’s very rare for it to happen. However in the rare cases it does, the consequences are severe because a large amount of force is needed to flip this type of car. We look to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians against common road incidents and collisions but also low frequency, but high risk incidents."
Volvo’s rollover protection system (ROPS) is made up of bars that frame the car; stiffening its chassis under rollover conditions to minimise injury.
Broberg refers to looking not just at the tip of the iceberg, but the base as well. That means championing Volvo flagship safety technologies, such as collision warning, but pointing out side curtain airbags too; airbags that don’t just deploy after a direct impact from the side but also after rear and frontal shunts.
What’s in the pipeline?
Volvo is arguably one of the leading manufacturers in the world in terms of road safety; and it’s leading the pack with the likes of Mercedes and, more recently, Ford.
It looks set to stay at the front too given its latest autonomous driving tests as part of the Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE) project in Europe.
SARTRE aims to encourage environmental road trains throughout Europe where ‘platoons’ of cars are linked via sensors and radars and will follow a lead car, driven by a professional driver.
The technology will ensure that each car maintains the same speed as the car in front and brakes when it does, too. That way drivers in following cars can do things when behind the wheel that would normally be illegal under EU law like work, use a phone and read a book.
“The SARTRE project is the next step towards autonomous driving. Drivers will be able to follow the car in front without interaction with the car and when they wish to leave the road they can simply disengage the system and turn off," says Broberg.
“Not only is it safer because you’re under the influence of a professional driver but it’s also better for congestion, fuel economy and the environment because cars would be able to travel closer together and maintain a constant speed."
While platoons and roadtrains seem a long way off, the project does flag up the latest advancements in safety technology - autonomous driving systems.
Autonomous driving
Autonomous driving, where drivers don’t interfere with their car but simply punch in a destination, is a long way off but the systems that make it possible are already beginning to be introduced.
With collision prevention systems, manufacturers are using radars, cameras and sensors to monitor the road around them and brake accordingly to prevent an accident or at least reduce their seriousness – much of the technology required to make road trains a reality is already present on cars.
All the systems are geared up to allowing the driver to relax and become a passenger; however there is a fear that too much active and passive safety technology can erode a driver’s skills and awareness.
“With Volvo, the driver is always in control and we ensure that by making the technology uncomfortable. With the auto brake system, the technology takes over very late where it’s impossible not to think that a collision is imminent," says Broberg.
“That means it’s designed to interact with drivers who have become distracted rather than those just testing it to its limits."
Volvo is sufficiently concerned that active and passive safety technologies could dull a driver’s reactions and skills when behind the wheel but, in keeping with its ‘thorough’ label, it is investigating the pros and cons of reduced driver inputs.
“We’re currently collecting data from three million km of driving. Drivers will be tested at first without the technology and then again when it has been added which should give us an idea of how, and if, drivers change their habits when the technology is engaged by drawing direct comparisons," said Broberg.
He continued, “Whether habits do or do not change is unclear yet but there is evidence to suggest that with the lane departure system, for example, drivers use their indicator stick more frequently because without it, the lane departure system will sound a warning which can become annoying.
“We hope the same trends are identified with collision prevention systems like auto brake."
Other stakeholders
As far as Volvo has come with its technology and as ambitious as its targets are, Broberg is well aware that it is not just car manufacturers that can help to improve road safety.
In its home market, Volvo has an agreement with the Swedish equivalent of the Highways Agency in the UK. It dictates that Volvo will improve its safety technology but also requires Swedish authorities ensure speed limits and road law is adhered to.
It’s a recognition that car manufacturers may be able to deliver on their part of the bargain to cut road deaths, potentially down to zero, but it can only be achieved with the cooperation of governments and policy-makers.
“We can put all the safety technology we want on a car but if it’s easy to break speed limits, resulting in a high-speed, head-on collision for example, the technology has less chance of working effectively.
“There’s a shared responsibility."