Volvo’s Pedestrian Avoidance Technology can completely avoid a collision with a pedestrian at speeds of up to 35 km/h if the driver does not react in time. At higher speeds, slowing down the car as much as possible will lessen an impact. As an example, if a vehicle is travelling at 50 km/h the PAT system reduces the impact speed to 25 km/h. The fatality risk to the pedestrians is reduced by 85 per cent if that is the case.
During the last ten years, 3449 pedestrians have been killed on Australian roads. Over a third were over the age of 60 years, and one in ten were children under the age of 14 years. The PAT technology uses a combination of a radar and a camera fitted behind the interior rear-view mirror. These can ‘see’ pedestrians from 80 cm in height. That's the equivalent of a three-year old child.
Volvo Car Australia m
anaging director, Alan Desselss, said the Volvo’s introduction of the technology continued to set the new benchmark for automotive safety. He says, “Volvo is committed to the safety of all road users and, with this system, arguably one of our most vulnerable road users is better protected than ever before.”
Desselss went on to say, “This technology has not been designed to take control away from the driver but merely acts as a back-up system which, unlike a human, can never be distracted.”
Volvo Cars has been developing its pedestrian avoidance system for over 10 years. Half a million test kilometres were driven in some of the world’s most densely populated cities. These included Paris, Tokyo and New Delhi.
The first use of the Volvo PAT system in Australia will be in the all-new Volvo S60 to be introduced here in December 2010.
Volvo’s says its next challenge is fulfilling its commitment to its Mobility 2020 vision. This is a very ambitious wish that states no person will be seriously injured or fatally injured in or by a Volvo by the year 2020.
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