Conti Developed Volvo Safety System Wins First UK Award

The Continental rear-end collision prevention safety system that recently debuted on the Volvo XC60, and will be fitted standard to the vehicle when it reaches UK showrooms this October, has won its first UK award. The City Safety system took top honours in the Technology category at the Fleet World Honours Awards 2008, held in London on May 13.

Commenting on the award, Chairman of Judges George Emmerson said: “Volvo’s commitment to researching and developing groundbreaking technologies has led to a number of safety milestones. City Safety is among the cleverest so far, predicting when low-speed accidents will happen and preventing them from occurring. City Safety will offer fleets financial, operational and social benefits that deserve recognition.”

At speeds of under 19mph, City Safety uses laser sensor technology to detect vehicles up to 10 metres in front of the car’s front bumper and reacts to vehicles in front that are either at a standstill or are moving slowly in the same direction as the car itself. If the gap between the cars continues to close and the driver remains inactive, the car applies the brakes automatically. City Safety’s potential for reducing the risk of both personal injuries and car bodywork damage is significant and may also cut insurance costs, as Volvo is currently involved in a dialogue with insurance companies regarding lower insurance premiums for cars equipped with City Safety.

John Wallace, Volvo Car UK’s corporate sales and leasing manager says, “With surveys indicating that 75 per cent of all reported collisions take place at speeds of under 18 mph, and in 50 per cent of these cases the driver has not braked at all before the collision, it’s easy to see the potential City Safety has in reducing incidents of this kind. As well as these safety benefits it also offers significant operational improvements, which is good news for businesses, and I am delighted that the judges have recognised this.”