Accident news - 16/11/2006

New Volvo car accident research centre opens in China

A new Volvo accident research centre has opened in China to research car accident information. Volvo research data is already being gathered in Sweden, the USA and Thailand.

China has been chosen as statistics show that more than 100,000 people are killed in road traffic accidents in China every year, compared with around 3500 in the UK.

The figure in China has decreased by around 10,000 in the last few years and it is hoped that the new centre will contribute to improving road safety in what is one of the world's most populated countries.

The information will be used to develop preventative systems that alert a driver to a potential crash and prime brakes for shorter stopping distances. Accident research information in a 40,000 strong database (involving more than 50,000 people) has already greatly assisted in the development of steering wheels and three-point seatbelts.

Volvo's in-house car accident research function is already one of the best developed in the car industry. The Volvo WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System), SIPS (side protection system) and ESP electronic stability enhancement systems have received great acclaim across the motoring industry.

Frederick Arp, CEO and President of Volvo Cars, says of the new centre: "Our knowledge about what actually happens when the vehicle and its occupants are in a collision has been a great asset in our product development over the decades. In recent years we have focused on what happens during the final few seconds before the accident takes place. This has created better potential for devising preventative systems that help our customers avoid [car] accidents in the first place."

Gaining knowledge about the increasingly intense Chinese traffic environment also ensures that Volvo's high-tech systems function at optimum level there, which will make sales easier to gain.