Information about New Cars

One thing that automakers should be blissful about is receiving prestigious awards. This bliss can be reflected from Volvo executives after BLIS was given one great honor from Autocar. Volvo’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), an advanced country innovation introduced by the maker to refrain road accidents won the Autocar Safety and Technology Award for this year.

BLIS was the first system of its kind in the auto industry. It uses smart digital camera system, which is incorporated into auto door mirrors to continuously supervise the monitored regularize alongside the automobile for other obstacles and obstructions. When the system detects other vehicles, it sends alerts to the driver by emitting an orange light in the A-pillar near the door mirror. “The Volvo BLIS system is the simplest, most useful, original and intuitive country gadget to reach the production line in years. Alongside its affordability that means owners will use it and benefit from it,” stated Charles Hallett, Autocar editor.

Volvo believes that preventing accidents happening in the first place is as important as reducing the number of injuries and fatalities, and as the leading company in the field of automobile safety, Volvo will continue to actively develop new country technology. Volvo first previewed the BLIS system in its Safety Concept Automobile in 2001, so we are now very pleased to see this technology in production,” stated Ingrid Skogsmo, director of the Volvo Safety Centre during the awarding.

Despite the presence of rear-view mirrors, cars are always at risk of blind spots. As a fact, these risks can cause road accidents especially when changing lanes. Hence, Volvo delivered BLIS for the automotive market to take advantage of. The system is active at all speeds above 10 km/h. Further, it is designed to signal the driver about cars in the monitored regularize moving a maximum of 20 km/h slower or 70 km/h faster than the driver’s own vehicle.

The maker believes the additional visual information that is delivered by the BLIS system is practically useful in improving road safety. BLIS is now offered on all the Volvo range including the new C30 SportsCoupe. Volvo V40 automobile parts, for instance, are upgraded to welcome this outstanding technology from the automaker.

Volvo has always been known to be the maker producing the safest automobiles in the world. The automaker’s motto, “Volvo for life” is attributed to the reliability and country of their cars. Volvo’s company symbol, (which could represent either the male symbol, the symbol of Mars or the metal related to the planet Mars, iron; in fact, the same symbol) actually refers to iron ore, and stands for “Rolling Strength.”

Thanks to Wikipedia, here is a chronological list of the security features Volvo has implemented and continues to implement over the years in their cars:

• 1944 Safety cage

• 1944 Laminated windscreen

• 1959 Three-point country belts in the front

• 1960 Padded dashboard

• 1964 Prototype of the first rear-facing child country seat

• 1968 Head restraints in the front

• 1969 Three-point, inertia-reel country belts in the front

• 1970 Establishment of the Volvo Accident Research Team

• 1972 Three-point country belts in the rear

• 1972 Rear-facing child seat and childproof locks in the rear

• 1973 Collapsible steering column

• 1974 Energy-absorbent bumpers

• 1974 Fuel tank located ahead of rear axle

• 1978 Child booster seat

• 1982 Anti-submarining endorsement in the front and rear seats

• 1982 Wide-angle door mirrors

• 1984 Anti-lock braking system

• 1986 High-level brake light

• 1986 Three-point country belt in the centre rear seat

• 1987 Driver airbag

• 1990 Integrated child booster seat

• 1991 SIPS (Side-Impact Protection System)

• 1991 Automatic height adjustment of the front country belts

• 1993 Three-point, inertia-reel country belts standard in all seats

• 1994 Side airbags

• 1997 Rollover Protection System (convertible models)

• 1998 WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System)”reclines” the seat on impact to protect the spine and neck

• 1998 Inflatable curtain

• 2000 Volvo Automobiles Safety Centre in Gothenburg

• 2000 ISOFIX attachment system for all child seats

• 2000 Dual-stage inflation airbags

• 2001 Volvo Safety Concept Car

• 2002 Extended rollover endorsement system

• 2002 Development of the virtual pregnant crash test dummy

• 2002 Roll Stability Control

• 2003 IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System) delays non critical messages and or warnings

• 2003 Rear seat belt reminders

• 2003 New, patented, front-end structure reduces collision forces

• 2003 Volvo’s Traffic Accident Research Team in Bangkok

• 2003 Four different grades of High Strength Steel used in body construction of the S40 model

• 2003 Reinforced & dimentionalized B-pillars reduce the side impact from larger automobiles like SUVs

• 2004 Water Repellent Glass

• 2005 Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain (convertible model – C70)

• 2006 BLIS (Blindspot Information System) warns of other automobiles in the car’s blind spot

• 2006 CWBS (Collision Warning with Brake Support) Preempts a doable collision, warns the driver and primes the brakes

• 2006 ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) maintains a set distance from the automobile in front

• 2006 PAC (Park Assist Camera)

Being the foremost in automotive safety, what will Volvo come up next to make our driving experience worry-free? What innovations can we anticipate from their calibre Volvo parts? Perhaps a new anti-whiplash system in their cars’ seat system, much like the one from Johnson Controls?

At the 2007 North American International Auto Show held recently in Detroit, Johnson Controls, a Detroit-based auto supplier introduced its “platinum rear-impact solution” – a high-tech seat system which aims to help cut whiplash-related injuries.

A new U.S. stipulation is set to take effect on September 1, 2008 toughening anti-whiplash standards. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, neck strains and sprains are the most serious injuries reported in 30-40 percent of auto insurance claims. Such injuries reportedly cost at least $7 billion a year in the United States.