Volvo - Impossible to Crash?

Ok time for my weekly rant. Today I was driving a considerable distance to have my eyes tested (my uncle is my optician but I won't bore you with the details) which in itself was going to take up a considerable percentage of the day. This is of course before you factor in the traffic police, their procedures and rubber neckers. Yep some unfortunate fellow in a Volvo appeared to have had an altercation with another Volvo driver and the grass verge alongside the motorway was littered with more Swedish parts than Ikea.

Thankfully both drivers were fine, but then they would be in a Volvo. After all safety and Volvo go together like speed and Ferrari. Not as exciting I grant you, but I know which I'd rather be in when I plough into a tree at 70mph. Anyhow, I digress. My issue today was not with the accident itself - it wasn't deliberate, hence why they're called accidents - but with the traffic police that decided that despite only half of the slow lane being affected they'd close the entire motorway.

Surely common sense would say that once the police arrived on the scene with both drivers not picking their limbs up from the central reservation, that at most a single lane should be cordoned off, therefore slowing the traffic down, but keeping it flowing all the same whilst the debris was cleared. Not so, in fact I waited for two hours whilst the police flashed their lights and sat in their cars, before we were allowed to get going again.

Of course once the first few rows of cars set off, the rest wanted to see all there was to see and crawled past the stricken vehicles at 1mph, straining their necks and mumbling to themselves. Now I'd understand your scepticism about how I know so much about the crash if I: a) wasn't involved and b) didn't strain a look myself. Valid point made, however whilst I was stuck to the car in fronts bumper at 1mph screaming for him to get a move on, it was pretty hard not to see the situation as I went past.

Not content with saving the lives of those that do have shunts like the above, Volvo now believe they can stop a crash happening at all. At first I thought this was a coded message that they were the latest victim of the credit crunch and there'd be no more cars to buy. Quite the opposite. The new Volvo XC60 is a soft-roader (that'll be a 4 x 4 that goes on the school run but no-where else) that aims to keep the company streets ahead of its rivals who have caught up with their prized safety technology.

To outline just how much Volvo prioritises safety, the company were the first to fit head restraints, three point seatbelts, child locks, seatbelt reminder buzzers and daytime running lights. Volvo also employed a research division to visit every crash within a hundred mile distance of the factory in Sweden to analyse what had hurt the occupants in the crash and what could be done to prevent it from happening again. Their latest breakthrough clearly is not a fad.

The system in the XC60 is called City Safety and it involves sensors on the car that will automatically start the car braking if the distance to the car in front gets worryingly close. Just remember the system is called City Safety because it is intended to work at 20mph or below, so don't use this as an endorsement to show off to your friends that your car will brake unassisted because you'll more than likely end up in the back of the car in front until you read the handbook. That said, car insurers are considering a 25% discount to all XC60 owners, so confident are they that the technology will be a success.

There are also amber lights on the mirrors that flash like crazy if you stray out of lane - an enhancement on Citroen's idea which involved the drivers' seat vibrating which no doubt led to many women deliberately straying out of lane. It's refreshing that in a car world where electronic developments are normally reserved for quicker gear changes or more bass on your Sat Nav/In-car Cinema/Gaming Console optional extra, that Volvo have put their knowledge to something that could very well revolutionise road safety.

Hopefully they'll reward their current customers with a few versions to trial. I can recommend two drivers in need of new Volvos...