Surveys have shown that approximately of all reported road collisions take place at speeds of up to 18 mph. In 50 percent of these cases the driver has not braked at all before the collision, mainly due to distraction. It is on the basis of this data that the safety experts at Volvo set about formulating what would later be developed into their City Safety technology - and the results look extremely impressive.

Volvo was established on the belief that safety should be an overriding factor in the development of the car. In 1927 the Swedish brand’s founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson stated that: “Cars are driven by people. Therefore the guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo is – and must remain – safety.” Through The Volvo Cars Safety Centre – at which each new car model is crash tested between 100-120 times (having been theoretically crashed thousands of times in virtual simulators) – the aim of Volvo founders’ to create a sound basis for the development of safety technology from a human perspective continues today. It is clear that the latest XC60, which comes with their revolutionary City Safety collision avoidance system as standard, is the culmination of over 80 years of continuous safety development.

City Safety offers a range of benefits that for the first time take into account not only the vehicle’s occupants, but also the safety of those travelling in the vehicle in front. Clearly, the best form of protection is to avoid an accident altogether and with the help of City Safety this is often possible at speeds below 9 mph. However, crucially, in those cases where an accident can not be avoided, Volvo’s City Safety technology helps to reduce the force of a collision (at speeds up to 18 mph). The results are that occupants of the vehicle and the vehicle in front receive a less serious impact and potentially could escape collision consequences such as whiplash injuries.

So how does it work? The technology involves a laser sensor which effectively ‘keeps an eye’ on the traffic in front, measuring any vehicles within a 6 metre distance in front of your car’s front bumper. Based on the gap between the vehicle in front and the car's own speed, the City Safety system makes 50 calculations a second to determine what braking force would be needed to avoid a collision. At the point that the calculated braking force exceeds a certain level without the driver responding, the system determines that the risk of a collision is imminent and deploys helping to either avoid or reduce the severity of the collision by automatically braking the car, reducing the throttle opening and at the same time activating the brake lights to warn other traffic.

In summary, any system that helps to reduce collisions that may cause injury is highly desirable, however added to this is the fact that at speeds of up to 18mph a lot of damage can be caused to a car. Such damage can lead to expensive body shop bills and insurance excess payments and, by lowering the threat of this damage, Volvo is not only ensuring the protection of the car owner’s safety but also potentially protecting their wallet!

To experience Volvo’s City Safety system in an interactive live demonstration simply visit their display on Canada Square Park during the 2009 Canary Wharf London Motorexpo.