KEY POINTS:
Volvo has a new mission: by 2020, the company says no one should be killed or injured in one of its cars.
"We don't accept that people lose their lives in airplane accidents, so why should we regard car accidents as inevitable?" says Jan Ivarsson, head of safety strategy at the Volvo Car Corporation.
The World Health Organisation estimates 1.2 million people are killed and more than 50 million are wounded in traffic accidents every year.
"With more and more advanced technology, we design cars that help the driver avoid accidents and hopefully also avoid exposure to dangerous situations," says Ivarsson.
Volvo plans to introduce safety technologies that make it possible to detect and auto-brake for pedestrians, and even auto-steer away from oncoming cars.
"There is considerable safety potential in creating communication between cars and infrastructure. Two cars could, for example, warn each other of queues or slippery roads. Infrastructure sensors could warn the driver of people or animals crossing the road," explains Ivarsson.
This requires all cars speak the same "language" regardless of brand, so international standards are needed. The driver and passengers must understand the importance of following traffic rules and using the car's safety equipment.
