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GOTHENBURG, Sweden - The destruction of the orange sedan with its slapdash paintwork may have been intentional but it was far from wanton. It was all part of Volvo’s bid to create an injury-proof car by 2020.
While that vehicle of the future may lack the self-awareness of the crime-fighting Trans Am in 1980s TV series Knight Rider, experts say it will be able to steer, brake and find out about the road ahead from within a vast electronic bumper.
Volvo’s 2020 vision: The injury-proof car - Autos - MSNBC.com (broken link)
I won't deny it - I am a Volvo fan. My family are Volvo fans. We currently have 5 Volvo's in the family: 2 XC90's, S80, V70, S30. And, we will be acquiring a new C30 to replace the S80 next month.
I have personally seen the "left over" of an S80 after being rear ended by a BIG truck - that pushed it into a iron power pole and which as broad sided by another car. There were 3 passengers in the Volvo: Driver, Passenger right seat (the side that was broadsided) and passenger behind driver.
The doors remained shut, the car crumpled front and rear the way it was designed to (the engine went under the car), the entire passenger compartment was filled with air bags.
The first responders had to use the "jaws of life to get the doors open but, after they did, the passengers stepped out of the car. There were some cuts and bruises (no whip lash!) - but all were released from the ER after being checked out.
If anyone can manufacter such an injury proof car - Volvo can.
Every time someone tries to make something idiot-proof, God invents a bigger/better idiot.
While cars should be made as safe as is practical, I worry about the loss of risk-aversion associated with a so-called "injury-proof" car. It's still not injury-proof to whomever you hit with it.
Every time someone tries to make something idiot-proof, God invents a bigger/better idiot.
While cars should be made as safe as is practical, I worry about the loss of risk-aversion associated with a so-called "injury-proof" car. It's still not injury-proof to whomever you hit with it.
Yeah, and I hope that it's not the case, where there is a view of infallibility and groupthink...
What I'm figuring is that it's simply indicative of a high bar set, much as in the term "Total Quality Management" or TQM, where theoretically no defects are tolerated... while it's naive for one to think that truly 0 will happen, it shows the vigorous pursuit at total quality, and at least there's no "acceptable level" being given when a company adopts TQM...
The same theory could be applied as such to Volvo's goal here.
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