A New Safety Test: Volvo Aces It

It seems that with every new type of crash test out there, there is always ONE brand that passes with flying colors. From the frontal offset crash test, to the roof structure crash test...to the just-announced "crash prevention systems" test, conducted by the IIHS, Volvo just keeps winning.

So what is a "crash prevention system" test? It measures how well a vehicle AVOIDS a crash in the first place. Its no surprise (to us) that the Volvo S60 and Volvo XC60 got the top marks of Superior in this test as they both come standard with City Safety Autobrake technology!

Volvo press release below:

Volvo S60 and XC60 get ‘superior’ rating in new test of front crash prevention systems

Volvo Car Group’s position at the pinnacle of car safety is again highlighted with the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) introducing a new test programme that rates the performance of front crash prevention systems. Both the Volvo S60 and XC60 get the highest possible rating ‘Superior’ – and Volvo Cars’ City Safety is the only standard fitment low-speed crash prevention system in the test, which included 74 vehicles.

“We welcome that the major rating institutes now begin to integrate collision avoiding technologies in their test programmes. This gives consumers a better insight into the advantages of auto brake systems. It will also drive implementation of these technologies through the vehicle fleet,” says Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Advisor at Volvo Car Group.

The IIHS’ new crash prevention evaluation will be incorporated into the institute’s 2014 Top Safety Pick+ rating. It includes two tests addressing front-to-rear crashes, one at 20 km/h (12 mph) and the other at 40 km/h (25 mph). An additional point is given to vehicles with Forward Collision Warning.

The Volvo S60 and XC60 equipped with City Safety and Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection are among seven models that get a ‘Superior’ rating in the new test.

City Safety standard in all Volvo models

The low-speed City Safety system is standard in all new Volvo models on all markets. Most Volvo models are also available with state-of-the-art technologies that detect, warn and brake automatically for rear end of vehicles as well as moving pedestrians and cyclists in higher speeds.

“The IIHS test focuses on two situations, both with the car approaching a stationary vehicle mock-up. However, it should be emphasised that Volvo Cars’ systems cover a much broader scope of real-life scenarios, including vehicles moving in the same direction, pedestrians and cyclists,” says Thomas Broberg.

So far, Volvo Cars has sold more than one million cars equipped with systems for automatic braking – and the company will continue this pioneering work in the near future by making detection systems work also in darkness for pedestrians and by introducing collision mitigation for animals.

Auto brake results in fewer accidents

The benefits of the groundbreaking City Safety technology has been documented in an earlier IIHS/HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute) report stating a reduction of the collision claim frequency with up to 20 per cent. Data from Swedish insurer If show similar figures with frontal collisions in car following situations being reduced with 23 per cent.

The IIHS study of insurance claims involving a Volvo XC60 shows that City Safety reduces the costs for bodily injury liability with 33 per cent – while property damage liability was lowered by 15 per cent.

“Over the years, the risk of being injured in a Volvo has been reduced continuously and substantially. By introducing new preventive and protective systems, we keep moving towards our aim that by 2020 no one should be injured or killed in a new Volvo. Our long-term vision is that cars should not crash,” says Thomas Broberg.

 

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