The car manufacturer is to enforce a 180km/h speed limit on all of its vehicles from the year 2020 to highlight and emphasise the dangers associated with speeding.
While it may come across to the general public as a PR stunt given that the maximum speed limit in most countries is already set at 120km/h or 130km/h, it may prove to be the beginning of a new trend that other manufacturers will soon follow. It is likely to highlight the debate over the role of speeding in serious or ultimately fatal crashes and the responsibility of the car manufacturers in reducing the speed limit of their vehicles.
Many car manufacturers currently impose speed limits on their vehicles, with premium German brands generally imposing a limit of 250km/h
With the advance of new technology, modern cars can now read speed limits and automatically reduce a vehicle’s speed to the legal speed limit. The Swedish-based but Chinese-owned company is introducing the 180km/h as part of its Vision 2020 project, which aims for no one to be killed or seriously hurt in a new Volvo by 2020.
The speed restriction will also mean that safety features such as automatic braking will have a better chance to limit the injuries cause in the even of an accident.
Research by Volvo Cars has identified three remaining concerns for safety that the company says constitute so-called ‘gaps’ in its ambition to completely end serious injuries and fatalities in its cars, with speeding a very prominent one.
According to Volvo Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson: “Because of our research we know where the problem areas are when it comes to ending serious injuries and fatalities in our cars. While a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it’s worth doing if we can even save one life.”
Apart from limiting high speeds, the car manufacturer is also conducting an investigation on how a combination of smart speed control and geofencing technology could limit speeds around school grounds and hospitals automatically in the future.
“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,” said Mr.Samuelsson. He added, “We don’t have a firm answer to this question, but believe we should take leadership in the discussion and a pioneer.”
The company quotes traffic accident data from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration showing that 25% of all traffic fatalities in the US in 2017 were caused as a result of speeding.
People do not recognise the danger involved in speed, says Jan Ivarsson, one of Volvo Cars’ leading expert in safety said.
“As humans, we all understand the dangers with snakes, spiders and heights. With speeds, not so much. People often drive too fast in a given traffic situation and have poor speed adaptation in relation to that traffic situation and their own capabilities as a driver. We need to support better behaviour and help realise and understand that speeding is dangerous.”
As well as speeding there are two other problems associated with road fatality and injuries. Intoxication is a big one. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal in large parts of the world, yet it remains a big obstacle in the safety of road users.
Another grey area in the safety for road users is distraction. Drivers are increasingly getting distracted by their phones or otherwise are not fully engaged in driving. This is another cause of makor road accidents and fatalities. In many ways, distracted drivers are deemed equally dangerous as drunk drivers.
Source: The Irish Times