SANTA I HAVE BEEN A BAD BOY THIS YEAR BUT I DID HELP AN OLD LADY CROSS THE STREET....PLEASE PUT THIS IN MY DRIVEWAY. World's safest car sees danger from all angles By Vicki Lankarge and Emilie Hilbert insure.com With it's rear-facing and infrared cameras, car collision warning sensors, and thumbprint indentification pad, Volvo's futuristic Safety Concept car (SCC) is a car George Jetson would love. Jointly designed and produced by the Ford Motor Co. and Volvo Car Corp., the $10 million prototype has more gadgets than a Swiss Army knife. But what is surprising is that the car makers say they only used technology that is already available to enhance the car occupants' personal security and safety. The cameras, sensors, video display monitors, and microchips are all "right off the shelf," according to Volvo spokesperson Dan Johnston. But you won't be seeing all these bells and whistles on cars anytime soon. According to Johnston, the SCC's night vision enhancement systems, 4-point seat belts, and rear-view-mirror sensors may be incorporated into vehicles within the next three to five years. For now, the one lone SCC — like a rock star on world tour — has just ended a seven-city publicity tour of the United States and is about to be shipped to meet the press in Malaysia. A car that can see In developing what they say is the world's safest car, engineers with Ford and Volvo studied 45,000 injuries suffered in 22,000 accidents, according to Johnston. From this data, the engineers identified situations that produce the most accidents, such as changing lanes, backing up, and children moving around in the back seat. Based on these findings, they built the technology into the car that would help you avoid these types of accidents in the first place. Much of this technology is designed to give you a better view, both inside and outside your car. "More than 90 percent of all important information to the driver comes in the form of visual input through the car's windows and windscreen," says Helen Petrauskas, safety manager at Ford. This is why the engineers designed a sensor that identifies the location of your eye and then automatically moves the seat to ensure that all the car's controls are within your safe reach. The positioning also affords you a better view of the road from your windshield. A radar unit in the SCC measures the distance to traffic at the rear and to vehicles alongside your car, alerting you to vehicles in your blind spot. In addition, rear-facing cameras integrated into the door mirrors can also show you what is in your blind spot and sensors in the front of the car can alert you if you veer off course. The SCC is also equipped with an infrared light that allows you to see beyond the normal reach of your headlights. Additionally, the headlights adapt to the road by turning the beams in the direction that your car is turning. PDA for your car? "Personal desk assistants," or PDAs, are cropping up everywhere and the SCC is no exception. A remote control unit called your "Volvo Personal Communicator" (VPC) can identify you by your fingerprint. Once your identity is relayed to the car, the doors are unlocked by grasping the handle, a keyless switch in the car starts the engine, and your personal settings like seat level, steering wheel height, and floor pedals are adjusted automatically. Individual destinations, settings, and medical information can be saved to your VPC. Along with personalized features, the VPC has the ability to warn drivers if the car is occupied. Beefed-up seat belts Seat belts in the SCC aim to give you more protection in the event of a rollover or accident. The "X4 CrissCross" is like your usual safety belt with protection from shoulder to hips, but comes with an additional chest belt that crosses your other shoulder and hip. The seat belt located in the SCC's center seat is similar to harnesses in child car seats and racing cars. The belt retracts from the seat and reaches across the shoulders like backpack straps. A buckle across the hips and pelvis secures passengers. In addition to these protections, the SCC has the following safety features: Brake lights that flash to alert drivers behind you when you jam on your brakes. Electrically adjustable seat cushions in the rear seat that give your children the most comfortable and safest seating position, irrespective of their height. A "cowl" bag, or concealed external airbag that inflates to give pedestrians and cyclists added protection in the event of a collision with your car. A heartbeat sensor that registers both human and animal heartbeats when the car is parked. The sensor is activated if anyone breaks into the car and hides inside it — or if a child or pet is left inside by mistake.
