NEW VOLVO HAS PEDESTRIAN AIRBAGS

We have a love/hate relationship with pedestrians. We love being one when we’re strolling the streets of a great city, and hate them when one steps out in front of our car at a green light. Now a new system from Volvo is being introduced to help protect pedestrians who may be on the wrong side of this relationship. 

Starting with the 2013 Volvo V40, the car company is implementing a pedestrian detection system that could improve safety. The system uses a radar in the car’s grille to detect an object and its distance form the car. A camera on the rearview mirror identifies the object, and if danger is impending, the car sounds an audible warning. If the driver doesn’t respond, the system activates the brakes.

In the unfortunate instance that the car hits a person, sensors in the bumper detect the impact and deploy an airbag. The airbag inflates from the section closest to the wind shield and covers about one-third of it from impact as well the A-pillar, the part between the door and windshield.

In an age where both drivers and pedestrians are known to get distracted by their phones, having some extra safety built into a car is a good thing.

Discovery News