Volvo Safety Concept Car

Safety is in the eye of the beholder, according to Volvo and Ford engineers who say that 90 percent of all vital driver information comes to us visually. The automakers' recent 7-city tour of the Safety Concept Car (SCC) showcased new technology designed to enhance a driver's view of the road.

Adjustable
When a driver enters the SCC, sensors scan the precise position of the driver's eyes and the car begins to move around the driver, automatically adjusting steering wheel, floor pan, floor pedals, seat and center console to provide the greatest vision and comfort. A small-stature woman, for instance, can sit comfortably away from the steering wheel because the floor pan rises and foot pedals automatically adjust to her legs while the seat is brought high enough for perfect vision of the road. Larger members of the family can easily drive the same vehicle as it adjusts automatically to their proportions.

Transparent
The A-pillar is a modernistic grid of steel and Plexiglas on the SCC and no longer an impediment to sight. Combined with the automatic seat adjustment, it allows the driver to see through the pillar. The B-pillars, located between the front and rear doors, curve inward to allow unobstructed rear vision. Volvo and Ford say the B-pillars perform as well as conventional B-pillars in rollover or side impact crashes.

Auto-Assist
Drivers swerving out of lanes or onto the shoulder of the road account for 42 percent of all fatal accidents and those figures are slowly climbing by one percent a year. The SCC has an answer to lane creep and dash. Tiny cameras monitor the position of the car in relation to the white lines marking lanes and the side of the road for 60 feet ahead of the car. If the car begins to veer either way without activating the turn signals, an alarm sounds. Cameras facing the rear alert the driver to vehicles closing on the side with yellow lights embedded in the side-view mirror and clearly visible to the driver's peripheral vision. If the driver still hits the turn signal for a lane change, the lights turn to red and an alarm sounds. A monitor in the center dash also shows the oncoming rear traffic usually hidden in the blind spot of side-view mirrors. The system could also work to alert drowsy drivers that they are involuntarily drifting in their lane.

Crash Alarm
For distracted drivers, the SCC includes a collision-warning device that senses the distance between the vehicle and the car in front. If the distance is too short for the speed at which the car is traveling or the gap is closing too quickly, a red warning signal in the windshield activates and an alarm sounds.