With regard to automotive safety, a distinction is made between "passive" safety (protecting passengers during and after a crash) and "active" safety (avoiding crashes). A plethora of systems, technologies and regulations have been developed and implemented to prevent accidents from happening -- and protect individuals when the inevitable occurs. But how advanced are we?
During a recent tour of Volvo's Gothenburg facilities, in Sweden, I had the opportunity to chat with auto manufacturing professionals for whom safety is a top priority. They taught me some history lessons on automotive safety and, most importantly, they gave me an inside look at the future -- a future that's closer than we think.
Volvo DNA
Volvo cofounder Gustaf Larson formulated the company's guiding principles in 1936: "An automobile carries passengers and is driven by a human being. Safety and reliability must be at the core of every part and component. The latter have to be designed so as to handle the stress and abuse generated by the vehicle's use on the road."
This principle rapidly led Volvo engineers to integrate safety concepts into their work; they wanted their cars to be solid and reliable even in the most demanding conditions. The first such example was the famous Volvo PV 444.
Did you know that the body structure of the PV 444 would remain intact in the event of a rollover? A laminated windshield was even added to prevent injuries to passengers (with tests being performed by professional stuntmen).
Occupants first!
Did you know that, in the 1950s, Ford unsuccessfully tried to sell safety to car buyers by offering padded dashboards as well as seatbelts? Even before the decade was over, Volvo went a step further by making three-point seatbelts a standard feature in all its vehicles. Then, the Swedish company fine-tuned the body structures to improve their crashworthiness. And so, in 1966, the Volvo 144 was rewarded for being the safest car in the world. In 1975, the 240 series added a collapsible steering column and a fuel tank mounted ahead of the rear axle.
 |
During a recent tour of Volvo's Gothenburg facilities, in Sweden, I had the opportunity to chat with auto manufacturing professionals for whom safety is a top priority. They taught me some history lessons on automotive safety and, most importantly, they gave me an inside look at the future -- a future that's closer than we think.
Volvo DNA
Volvo cofounder Gustaf Larson formulated the company's guiding principles in 1936: "An automobile carries passengers and is driven by a human being. Safety and reliability must be at the core of every part and component. The latter have to be designed so as to handle the stress and abuse generated by the vehicle's use on the road."
This principle rapidly led Volvo engineers to integrate safety concepts into their work; they wanted their cars to be solid and reliable even in the most demanding conditions. The first such example was the famous Volvo PV 444.
Did you know that the body structure of the PV 444 would remain intact in the event of a rollover? A laminated windshield was even added to prevent injuries to passengers (with tests being performed by professional stuntmen).
Occupants first!
Did you know that, in the 1950s, Ford unsuccessfully tried to sell safety to car buyers by offering padded dashboards as well as seatbelts? Even before the decade was over, Volvo went a step further by making three-point seatbelts a standard feature in all its vehicles. Then, the Swedish company fine-tuned the body structures to improve their crashworthiness. And so, in 1966, the Volvo 144 was rewarded for being the safest car in the world. In 1975, the 240 series added a collapsible steering column and a fuel tank mounted ahead of the rear axle.
 |