Volvo Safety Engineering Technology Is Saving Lives

Automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have agreed to mandate automatic emergency braking as standard on almost every new vehicle in the US by 2023.

Safety engineering innovator Volvo led the industry with the 2008 intro of the emergency auto braking system, to reduce rear-end collisions at speeds up to 20 mph. This system activates sudden hard stop braking, in situations where the driver has not reacted in time.

Currently 10 carmakers offer the feature including locally headquartered safety and value leader Subaru.

Eleven Volvo models including a recently tested $58,000 V60 T5 Cross Country, have earned five star safety ratings. Powered by a 2 liter inline 4, 250 horsepower engine or a 415 horsepower hybrid option… the newest Cross Country is a sophisticated tech-laden AWD wagon with 2.5 inches higher ground clearance that a standard V60.

Volvo pioneered safety features include 3-point seat belts, crumple zones and safety cage design. Annual US traffic fatalities since 2020 have declined 12%. The improvement is actually more significant than the raw suggests because the declining fatality rate is based on a population which has increased by 45 million.