# Volvo promises deathproof cars by 2020



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

*Volvo has made a shocking pledge: By 2020, no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car or SUV*

In an attempt to take sales away from BMW and Mercedes in the luxury market has made the bold claim that no one will be killed or seriously injured in their cars starting in 2020. Safety is one of the defining factors of a luxury car and consumers are willing to pay more for a safer car. With this pledge Volvo is stamping their authority on the luxury market and reminding everyone of their legacy of safety.


1959 ***8211; three-point safety belt
1972 ***8211; rearward-facing child safety seat
1991 ***8211; side impact protection
1998 ***8211; whiplash protection system
1998 ***8211; inflatable curtain
2002 ***8211; rollover protection system 
2003 ***8211; blind spot information system 
2010 ***8211; pedestrian detection with full auto brake

Now the question is, can Volvo live up to this claim in 4 years or this an attention grab that they have no intention of following through on?

*2016 BMW 3 Series received Marginal grade in small overlap IIHS crash test*



> "If you meet Swedish engineers, they're pretty genuine," said Lex Kerssemakers, CEO of Volvo Cars North America. "They don't say things when they don't believe in it."
> 
> There is one big caveat. If someone really wants to hurt themselves, or is just really, really stupid... well, Volvo can't do anything about that. But, assuming you're not a suicidal maniac or a total idiot, in four years, you'll be safer driving a new Volvo than you are climbing a ladder to screw in a light bulb.
> 
> Fatality-free vehicles are not unprecedented. In fact, there already are some, and they're not just Volvos. According to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are nine vehicle models -- including the Volvo XC90 -- in which no one in the United States has died in at least four years.


Read the full article

*2016 BMW X1 Euro NCAP Crash Test results*


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

> There is one big caveat. If someone really wants to hurt themselves, or is *just really, really stupid*... well, Volvo can't do anything about that. But, assuming you're not a suicidal maniac or a total idiot, in four years, you'll be safer driving a new Volvo than you are *climbing a ladder to screw in a light bulb*.


Climbing ladders, if you measure injuries per amount of time on ladders, is much more dangerous than driving even a 10 year old car. The problem today is that the smarter cars get, the more people are really, really stupid. Once cars can self-drive, the "driver" will be effectively brain dead (aka looking at his phone) the entire trip.

Sounds like a really fun car to drive. One question - can I get a manual transmission, complete with 3 pedals?


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## Mercedes Benz (Apr 7, 2014)

A few people have gotten killed by flying debris. That is hard to protect against unless there's some type of super strong glass. Also getting hit broad side can be deadly.

Hope Volvo doesn't combat bad tires by having an automatic tread measuring system. That would be overly complex and easily to replicate cheaply by a flashlight and a pair of eyes.


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