Innovation
26/02/2016

Volvo Plans to Reduce Its Cars' Collision Rate to Zero


Volvo Car Group promises to ensure that none of its new cars will get in an accident with fatalities by 2020. To fulfill the promise, the company is carrying out a large-scale experiment with the use of "cloud" technologies and predictive analytics based on the self-driving model Volvo XC90.



Last year, the Volvo Cars launched a pilot test, equipping 1 ths. cars in Sweden and Norway with special sensors linked with Volvo Cloud, where cars can exchange information between themselves, the company and local municipalities. The transmitted information, for example, concerns traffic and road conditions, situations with accidents and so on. All of this allows warning drivers of possible obstacles and challenges ahead. Gathering information within the pilot project will continue until 2017. Business Development and Volvo Cars strategy Director Jonas Rönnqvist said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that all collected data is sent to Teradata Corp. database. The cloud also gathers data from the project’s workshops, dealers, Volvo service and consumers. Volvo Cars experts analyze the collected data to find out how a change in the specific vehicle equipment can increase safety.

"We are absolutely certain that this technology will appear as scheduled - in 2020" - promised Mr. Rönnqvist. Yet now the SUV Volvo XC90, according to the American Institute of safety on the roads, is one of the models, all accidents of which bore no human losses in the past year. This list also includes all-wheel drives Audi A4, Lexus RX 350 and minivan Honda Odyssey.

EU statistics show that socio-economic cost of deaths and disabilities of citizens suffered in road accidents exceeds t loss from mortality due to cancer and cardiovascular disease. One in three Europeans at least once in a lifetime is treated in hospital because of injuries gotten in accidents. Losses from deaths in accidents account for 2% of the GDP of the EU.

WHO global report on road safety for the year 2014 indicates that result of road accidents is nearly 1.25 million people dying each year. Such calculations are based on an analysis of data from 180 countries. This figure does not differ from the figures that the WHO called in its last report in 2013 (1.24 million), although during this time, number of motorized vehicles, as well as number of inhabitants on the planet has increased considerably.

49% of road deaths are not motorists. At the same time, loss of life in a car accident is the cause of death number one for people aged 15 to 29 years.

The report also said that some of the vehicles sold in 80% of all countries of the world do not meet basic safety standards. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries - at that, nearly half of these countries produced 67 million new cars in 2014.

source: wsj.com

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