Since the early days of motorized transportation, Volvo automobiles and trucks have been know as the safest vehicles on the road. The folks at Volvo take great pride in this and the tradition certainly continues. In this article, we will look at some of the new safety features of the Volvo S60.
1- Boron Steel
Volvo crafts a unique safety cage for all of their cars. The most important characteristic of the cage is its use of “Boron steel.” Boron steel is four times stronger than the average high-strength steel. Previously, Volvo used this type of steel in up to 10 percent of the construction of its cars but now, with the new generation of cars, the Boron steel takes up to 40 percent of the total weight. Considering the fact that the entire safety cage is made of it, it is safe to assume that the Volvo S60 is one of the strongest cars made.
2 – City Safety Technology
City Safety is a collection of different technologies designed to prevent accidents. Some of the technologies include:
Autobrake System – Designed to warn the driver or activate the automatic braking after detecting pedestrians or large animals.
Oncoming Collision Mitigation – Designed to avoid or mitigate collisions with oncoming vehicles at intersections.
Steering Support – Designed to assist drivers in emergency situations by braking the inner wheel, aiding steering, and then braking the outer wheel to help straighten the vehicle.
3 – Driver Alert Control
Volvo Cars of Miami says that Driver Alert Technology debuted in 2007, but for the new S60 it uses a camera and various other sensors to assess the driver’s awareness status. Should the system detect erratic behavior, it will sound an alarm.
4 – Blis With Steer Assist
Blis is short for the Blind Spot Information System and it is designed to detect any traffic approaching from the rear. BLIS sensors can track vehicles up to 230 feet behind the car thus giving the system enough time to warn the driver that a vehicle is approaching. If the driver tries to make a lane change, the light on the door mirror will flash. If the driver still does not react, S60 will activate the steer assist function and smoothly steer the vehicle back.
5 – Oncoming Mitigation by Braking
Oncoming mitigation by braking works independently from the City Safety or the Lane Keeping Aid system, and it is focused on reducing the speed of a car when a collision with an oncoming vehicle is about to occur. Continuously tracking events in front of the car, the system can actually engage the brakes and slow the vehicle down by 6.2 mph. Lower speed equals lower possibility of injuries.
6 – Connected Safety
Connected Safety is a cloud system which collects information from all connected Volvo vehicles on the roads. Combining data from multiple sources gives the drivers an important edge when it comes to car safety. For now, the technology can report on slippery road conditions or activated hazard lights. bIn reality, the Connected Safety works something like this: as soon as a car or a truck turns on the hazard lights, an alert is sent to all connected nearby vehicles, informing the drivers about a possible accident in the vicinity. The system, apparently, works in total anonymity.