The Volvo S80: The Safest Volvo Yet

ROCKLEIGH, NJ -- When a new Volvo is designed, the first priority for engineers is that the new car must be safer than the others that came before it. The S80 is no exception to this mandate. It is the best engineered and the safest car Volvo has ever built.

Volvo engineers didn't rely on only passive safety to help protect occupants from injury. The new Volvo flagship has the latest active safety systems to keep drivers from having an accident. Included in the S80 are world class handling and braking, essential to maneuver safely in emergency situations. Additionally, optional rear-facing radar will help alert drivers when there are objects or persons in the way while the car is moving in reverse.

However, in the event an accident occurs, Volvo engineers have equipped the S80 with state-of-the-art passive safety systems that surpass current government mandated regulations, and even the safety of other Volvos built up to this time. These advanced systems include the Inflatable Curtain for advanced head protection in side-impact collisions, WHIPS anti-whiplash front seats designed to reduce neck injuries in rear end collisions, and the most rigid Volvo body to help insulate occupants against crash forces.

Volvo also considered personal security part of occupant safety, and the S80 offers exceptional features in that area as well. An approach light function will brighten any walk to and from the vehicle, while an effective central locking system continuously changes control codes emitted by the remote entry system so that no one can copy the control signal and break into the car. Optional laminated side windows further helps to keep intruders out of the vehicle.

SIDE IMPACT PROTECTION SYSTEMS
Statistics show that side impacts are among the most injurious types of roadway accidents. Over the years, Volvo engineers have developed increasingly effective protection for side-impact collisions. This is a difficult task because a vehicle has scarcely any space between the occupants and the doors and windows, unlike the engine compartment and other components that are designed to help keep occupants protected in a front or rear collision.

In 1991, the first side impact protection system (SIPS) used energy-absorbing rails, pillars, cross-members, roof and seats as well as extra padding in the doors, roof pillars and roof lining. Then came the SEPS bags, first introduced in the 1995 850 models. The SEPS bags are stored in the outer part of the front backrests so that they are always in the optimum protective position regardless how the occupants position their seats. In the S80, SIPS bags are triggered by electronic sensors in the pillar between the front and rear doors, and behind the rear door.

The S80 takes side impact protection one step further with the Inflatable Curtain (IC). Hidden inside the roof lining, the Inflatable Curtain will deploy as needed to cover the upper part of the doorside interior, protecting occupants in both the front and rear seats. The Inflatable Curtain is activated by the same sensors that trigger the SEPS bags so that only the SEPS bag and IC on the struck side will deploy. The IC can also deploy independently from SIPS bag depending on location of side impact. Deployment takes a maximum of 25 milliseconds. The curtains remain inflated for three seconds after deployment to give more protection to the head and chest than side airbags alone. In addition, the IC can help keep unbelted occupants from being ejected from the car through the window.

The S70 sedan and V70 wagon do not have the ICs. However, Volvo engineers have devised a clever way to protect occupants in those models in side collisions. The engineers have designed a small addition that inflates from the top of the SIPS bag. Here's how it works. About three milliseconds after a sensor detects a side impact, a detonator ignites a pyrotechnic device. This increases pressure that presses on the cap of a gas reservoir. The gas flows into a mixing section and blends with the heated gas. The gas heats up and expands to fill the lower section in about 10 ms. As the gas is pressed up from the lower section, it inflates the upper section within 25 ins.

The add-on top section of the SIPS bag performs many of the functions of the IC, such as minimizing head injuries and cushioning against protruding metal from an oncoming vehicle. It is also helpful in protecting the head when a vehicle skids into a tree or a pole.

Volvo's second innovation in the S80 is specifically designed to reduce the risk of whiplash injuries. There are two key parts in the WHIPS seat to prevent injuries. The first is a device between the seat cushion and the backrest. The second is a wire frame suspended in a set of springs in the backrest.

When a rear collision occurs, the WHIPS seat is activated in two steps. First the backrest moves backwards with the occupant to reduce G forces. In the next phase, the angle of the backrest folds back--up to 15 degrees--to catch the occupant and prevent a whiplash effect. In addition, the back-rest has six springs with limiters that give even support of the spine when it is pressed back into the seat.

Volvo has also designed the fixed headrest to remain close to the head. This reduces head movement and forces on the neck. Basically, the entire back of the occupant is pushed against the backrest in a controlled way. Volvo says its tests indicate the WHIPS system can cut acceleration forces in the neck by about 50 percent.

new optional reversing radar system. It's designed to help avoid accidentally backing over persons or into objects that might be out of your field of view. The radar starts pinging when an object is less than about five feet away. The more frequent the pings, the closer the object is. Of course, the audible signal tells you stop immediately and ascertain that the way in back is clear. It's a dealer installed option and has a manufacturers suggested retail price of $350.

The front seat belts come with force limiters that control the roll speed of belt webbing and provide more gentle restraint. Volvo uses smart front airbags to optimally protect occupants. The airbags have two trigger levels depending on whether occupants are wearing seat belts. A belt sensor detects whether or not a front seat occupant is wearing a seat belt and the airbag trigger level is automatically adjusted to the condition it finds. If a seat belt is used, the airbag has a higher trigger level than if the occupant is not wearing a belt. What this means is that if the occupant is wearing a belt, more crash energy must
be sensed before deploying the airbag. Driver's front airbag deploys with full force to help reduce injuries from steering wheel contact.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

The core of Volvo occupant protection is still the safety cage structure of the body and chassis. This is designed to absorb and dissipate crash energy before it can reach the vehicle's occupants. The S80 body is extraordinarily rigid. Almost 50 percent of the body is made of High Strength Steel. HSS is also used for sub-assemblies.

CHILD SAFETY

Child safety is also given extra attention in the S80. Volvo offers a child booster cushion, designed to be used with the center rear seatbelt and adjustable head restraint for children four and older. For parents who must install a rear-facing child seat in the front passenger position, a dealer installed switch can be installed to deactivate the front airbag. Seat belts are also designed to ease the installation of child safety seats.