Volvo Cars today announced that every car it now sells has a limited top speed of 180 km/h or roughly 112 mph. The automaker says that this move will help close the gap to zero serious injuries or fatalities that it set for itself.
"We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety," said Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. "Our speed limiting technology, and the dialogue that it initiated, fits that thinking."
Volvo is also introducing a Care Key, through whose use the top speed of a car can be further limited. If, say, you're letting a younger person drive, you can personally keep the top speed of your Volvo limited so as not to have a repeat of Toronto's AMG C63 incident.
"The speed cap and Care Key help people reflect and realize that speeding is dangerous, while also providing extra peace of mind and supporting better driver behavior," said Ekholm.
Volvo recognizes that some buyers may object to the speed limitation, but says in a statement that it "believes is has an obligation to continue its tradition of being a pioneer in the discussion around the rights and obligations of car makers to take action that can ultimately save lives, even if this means losing potential customers."
Volvo points out that in-car safety technology just isn't good enough to avoid severe injuries and fatalities above certain speeds. Research shows, says Volvo, that most people fail to appreciate the dangers that surround driving too quickly, when crash structures and safety technology can't protect them the same way they normally do.
"We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety," said Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. "Our speed limiting technology, and the dialogue that it initiated, fits that thinking."
Volvo is also introducing a Care Key, through whose use the top speed of a car can be further limited. If, say, you're letting a younger person drive, you can personally keep the top speed of your Volvo limited so as not to have a repeat of Toronto's AMG C63 incident.
"The speed cap and Care Key help people reflect and realize that speeding is dangerous, while also providing extra peace of mind and supporting better driver behavior," said Ekholm.
Volvo recognizes that some buyers may object to the speed limitation, but says in a statement that it "believes is has an obligation to continue its tradition of being a pioneer in the discussion around the rights and obligations of car makers to take action that can ultimately save lives, even if this means losing potential customers."
Volvo points out that in-car safety technology just isn't good enough to avoid severe injuries and fatalities above certain speeds. Research shows, says Volvo, that most people fail to appreciate the dangers that surround driving too quickly, when crash structures and safety technology can't protect them the same way they normally do.