Volvo To Introduce Ground-breaking Connected Safety Technology Across Europe

Volvo models to alert drivers of nearby slippery road conditions and hazards via a cloud-based network.

Volvo is introducing industry-first safety technology across Europe, in further movements towards ambitions to improve traffic safety. The all new technology will allow Volvo vehicles to communicate via a cloud-based network. Using previous Hazard and Slippery Road Alert technology, Volvo has integrated the communication network with warning systems which can notify other Volvo drivers of nearby treacherous conditions and hazards.

The Hazard Light Alert and Slippery Road Alert were made available in Sweden and Norway in 2016, featured in the Volvo 90 Series models. These technologies will now be available to Volvo drivers across Europe, with all new model year 2020 Volvos offering the features as standard. Volvo will also offer the option to fit these alerts on selected earlier models*.

Should a Volvo’s hazard lights turn on, the Hazard Light Alert signals all nearby Volvo cars with the feature enabled, warning drivers to help avoid potential accidents. With these features already being operated in Sweden and Norway, Volvo is keen to share the technology with the car industry, as not only do they allow drivers to adjust their speed but can also be useful for better awareness on blind corners and over the crest of hills in the road.

The Slippery Road Alert is a driver awareness warning of potential dangers ahead, the system anonymously collects road surface information from cars further ahead on the road and warns drivers approaching a slippery road section in advance.

Volvo safety research demonstrates that the speed of a vehicle in certain road conditions can drastically impact the outcome. This new technology will allow Volvo drivers to reduce their speed according to the situation and as research suggests, decreasing the likelihood of an accident.  By warning drivers early, the technology allows for improved driving behaviour and heightens traffic safety.

“Sharing real-time safety data between cars can help avoid accidents”

Malin Ekholm, Head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre

By enabling the feature, Volvo owners can directly contribute to making roads safer for other drivers which also enable the feature, as well as benefiting from warnings to potentially dangerous conditions ahead, in plenty of time.

As a brand, Volvo is actively pursuing safer roads, the manufacturer is urging the rest of the car industry to include the sharing anonymised data related to traffic safety across car brands. The technology will become more impactful, the more vehicles that enable the feature.

The introduction of these features in Europe comes after many other safety feature announcements which also focus on improving safety on the road. These include, 180 khp speed-limited Volvos from 2020, as well as, in-car cameras and sensors which monitor the driver and allow the car to intervene if a clearly intoxicated or distracted driver is risking an accident involving serious injury or death.

Volvo is working towards making our roads safer and the company knows that in order to accomplish this, the entire car industry needs to be on board. That’s why Volvo is sharing its technology advancements and making its safety knowledge easily accessible in a central digital library, which it urges the car industry to use in the interest of safer roads for all.

Find out more about the current Volvo range or contact Caffyns Volvo today for more information.