Volvo had a very ambitious plan a few years ago in which they aimed to not have any serious injuries or fatalities in a new Volvo vehicle by 2020. This plan was set in motion with cars & SUVs that had a strong safety structure, advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking and semi-autonomous driving, and now Volvo is introducing a speed limiter on all of their new vehicles.
While a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph) may seem like a huge restriction, there are very few places in North America – or the world for that matter – where you can legally go as fast or faster than this. Here in Canada, the fastest you can legally go is 120 km/h. Sure, you’ll probably see some drivers go 150 km/h on long, empty stretches through the prairies but that’s still well below the 180 km/h limit. The only place where you can legally go faster is Germany. The Autobahn network may be mostly restricted but there are some sections where there are no speed limits.
In addition to the new speed limit, each new Volvo will also come with the Care Key. This will allow owners to set their own speed limits which can be used when their children drive their vehicles, for example. It is a similar feature to General Motors’ Teen Driver technology which also limits the vehicle’s speed, among other things.
Volvo themselves acknowledge the fact that no matter how well the safety structure or safety feature of a vehicle is, at excessive speeds metal will crumble and all those advanced safety technologies will not keep the occupants safe. The automaker says that too many people still drive too quickly and this is one way that they can be a responsible carmaker to improve traffic safety. Intoxication and distracted driving are two more areas where Volvo is focusing their efforts in order to achieve their zero traffic fatalities goal.
