Volvo To Introduce Driver Monitoring Cameras To Boost Car Safety

• Will deploy additional safety features to curb intoxicated driving.
• Come 2021, all Volvo cars will have a speed limit of 180 kmph.
• Volvo will also introduce the Care Key - a system in which you can limit the car’s speed.

Safety is the number one priority for Volvo cars. The carmaker is not only known for manufacturing the safest cars in the world, it has also pioneered a host of active and passive safety systems that we see in cars today.

As the next step in the carmaker’s journey to provide a safer driving experience on the road, Volvo will now introduce a system to curb intoxicated and distracted driving. Volvo will address this by installing in-car cameras and sensors to monitor the driver. The system will intervene if an intoxicated driver does not respond to the warning signals provided by the vehicle. This intervention could involve various courses of action including limiting the car’s speed, calling up Volvo’s Assistance and as a final course, slowing down and parking the car safely.

Examples of intoxicated and distracted behaviour include a complete lack of steering input for long durations, drivers who have their eyes closed on the road, and extreme reactions while driving.

Henrik Green, senior president, research and development of Volvo cars, said, “When it comes to safety, our aim is to avoid accidents altogether rather than limit the impact when an accident is imminent and unavoidable. In this case, cameras will monitor for behaviour that may lead to serious injury or death.”

Introduction of the detection system will begin from 2020 in Volvo’s scalable SPA2 platform. Details regarding the number of cameras and sensors are still unknown as the project is still in the early stages of development.

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Volvo is also working on curbing overspeeding on public roads. For this, it has decided to limit the top speed of its cars to 180 kmph (112 mph) from 2021.

Apart from the driver monitoring features, Volvo has also revealed a unique feature called the “Care Key”. This allows the owner of the car to set a limit on the top speed before lending their car to others.

With Volvo implementing all these steps, it is clear that the carmaker wants to get one thing right: a safer driving experience.