Volvo crashes at least 1 new car per day for your safety

Volvo latest models are properly good-looking machines, low profile folks will appreciate its understated good looks next to the flashy Germans. 

However mention Volvo and we still think the 3-point seatbelt that’s made free to the world, and more recently the self-imposed 180 km/h speed limit on all their cars. Do you know that they have been crash testing at least 1 car every day?

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Volvo Cars Safety Centre has crashed at least 7,000 vehicles at the centre, according to our conservative calculations. Volvo claims it’s still one of the most advanced crash labs in the world. 

The safety centre allows engineers to reproduce any traffic situations and accidents, surpassing whatever that’s asked of regulations. There are 2 test tracks measuring 108m and 154m for this purpose. The former allows cars to be crashed at speeds up to 120km/h. 

Outside the centre, Volvo performs tests such as roll-over crashes, run-off road scenarios and launching cars into ditches at high speeds. This is also where Volvo recently dropped their cars from 30 metres to let rescuers practice their life-saving skills.

On top of that, Volvo deploys several barriers to simulate crash scenarios. These include a 850-tonne barrier for frontal, rear and side impacts. There are also 2 dozen fixed and movable barriers - there’s even one moose-like structure to simulate crashes involving these animals. 

The barriers and crash test dummies have sensors embedded in them to allow Volvo engineers to record the entire chain of events in detail. Ultra high-definition cameras film the tests from multiple angles to allow engineers to have as much data as possible. 

Volvo also claims that prior to these tests, the cars have gone through thousands of computer simulated crashes tests, including the ones we’ve seen with the “Ultimate Driving Simulator”.

“Being committed to safety is not about passing a test or getting a safety rating. Our commitment to safety is about finding out how and why accidents and injuries occur and then developing the technology to help prevent them,” said Volvo Cars senior safety advisor Thomas Broberg.

“No matter what the scenario, we can recreate it here at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre and analyse it in detail. For me, it is very inspiring to realise that for every hour of testing and analysis we put in, we get closer and closer to our ambition that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.”