SGIO supports step towards crash resistant car
05/02/2009
SGIO has welcomed the technology of the new Volvo XC60 SUV, a vehicle set to dramatically reduce the likelihood of its drivers being involved in low speed crashes.
The Volvo XC60, due to be released next week, is the first vehicle in Australia to offer collision avoidance technology for low speed collisions – one of the most common types of collisions on WA roads.
SGIO* is a member of the International Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR), which has been testing the Volvo technology for the past three years. The technology, which Volvo has coined ‘City Safety’, involves a sensor at the top of the windscreen which detects if the car is at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead.
If the driver has not taken corrective action in time, the brakes will be applied automatically to either minimise the impact, or avoid it altogether. The manufacturer said the technology works when driving up to 30km/h.
SGIO estimates that there are about 10,000** rear enders on WA roads each year, with driver inattention usually to blame.
SGIO Head of Research Robert McDonald said although there is no substitute for good driving and concentration, this type of technology has the potential to result in a dramatic decrease in the number of rear end collisions.
“According to our claims data, rear enders cost WA drivers and insurers almost $50 million** a year and this figure doesn’t take into account the emotional and physical distress of the collisions” said Mr McDonald. “We congratulate Volvo for looking to address this problem. We believe this technology is a practical step forward in tackling the problem of rear enders.”
Mr McDonald added that other collision mitigation systems currently available were usually part of the cruise control and did not operate at common collision speeds, but that the technology from Volvo was always operational and worked for speeds of up to 30km/h – the range at which the majority of collisions occur.
“We are very confident that the City Safety technology will reduce the likelihood of the XC60 being involved in a collision. This is set to be reflected in our pricing, and we would estimate that the cost of an insurance premium for this vehicle will be around 20 per cent cheaper compared to similar vehicles that don’t have this type of technology.”
“We are encouraging other manufacturers to follow the lead of Volvo and make collision avoidance technology commonplace for Australian drivers.”
* As part of Insurance Australia Group.
** Based on SGIO insurance claims data.