Volvo Introduces New Safety Systems
Aug 30, 2012
Zephyrhills, FL (Law Firm Newswire) August 29, 2012 – Volvo is developing a number of high-tech safety features, many of which focus on adapting to modern driver behavior.
Surveys have shown that drivers in the United States spend up to 30 percent of their driving time doing other things, such as making cell phone calls or texting, and this distracted driving is a major cause of automobile accidents.
The new technologies are being developed in three major areas: helping drivers stay safely in their lane, avoiding accidents at intersections and collisions with wild animals.
“These new systems may prove to play an important role in preventing tragic injuries and deaths on the highway,” said Zephyrhills auto accident attorney Robert Alston. “Distracted driving is a major contributor to car accidents, and it is good to see automakers taking this into account in the development of new technologies.”
One of the new technologies is Autonomous Driving Support, which helps drivers stay in their lanes and follow the traffic rhythm when cars are backed up. The system uses a camera and radar sensors to gauge the distance between cars, automatically controlling the brakes and steering. If the driver in front swerves to avoid an obstacle, the steering system will turn the car the same way, though the driver can take control at any time.
Another new system is that of automatic braking at intersections. Volvo’s Intersection Support will apply the brakes automatically for crossing traffic. The system can respond not only to the driver’s mistakes but to those of other drivers as well. In the United States in 2007, 21.5 percent of all highway deaths happened at intersections.
A third technology under development is Animal Detection, intended to prevent the many serious collisions with wild animals that occur in rural areas. In the United States, about 200 people are killed each year due to impacts with wild animals. Volvo’s new system is programmed to recognize the shapes and movement patterns of animals and will be able to automatically detect and brake for animals in daylight and at night, up to a distance of 30 meters.
Robert Alston is a partner in the firm of Alston & Baker, P. A. To contact a Zephyrhills Social Security lawyer, Zephyrhills accident attorney, or Zephyrhills divorce lawyer, visit http://www.alstonbakerlaw.com.
Alston & Baker, P.A.
5518 Seventh Street
Zephyrhills, Florida 33542
Call: 813-779-8895
Toll-free: 1-888-500-5245
