Volvo has announced that as part of its Vision 2020 safety protocol it will limit the top speed of all its new cars to 112mph.
The brand has previously stated that no one will be killed or seriously injured in one of its vehicles by next year, but the Swedish marque is now hoping to improve driver behaviour.
Research undertaken by Volvo has found that speeding is one of the three major causes of serious injury and fatalities in its own cars – along with intoxication and distraction – while data collected by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration in the US found that 25 per cent of all traffic deaths were caused by speeding in 2017.
Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars president and chief executive, said: “Volvo is a leader in safety: we always have been and we always will be. Because of our research, we know where the problem areas are when it comes to ending serious injuries and fatalities in our cars.
“And while a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it’s worth doing if we can even save one life.”
The manufacturer is also looking into how smart speed control and ‘geofencing’ technology could be combined to automatically limit vehicle speeds around schools and hospitals in the future.
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Samuelsson added: “We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver’s behaviour, to tackle things such as speeding, intoxication or distraction.
“We don’t have a firm answer to this question, but believe we should take leadership in the discussion and be a pioneer.”
As one of Volvo’s top safety experts, Jan Iversson emphasised the importance of people recognising the danger of speeding.
Iversson said: “As humans, we all understand the dangers with snakes, spiders and heights. With speeds, not so much.
Ahead of #GIMSSWISS we are sending a strong signal about the dangers of speeding by limiting the top speed on all Volvo cars. Should car makers have the right, or even the obligation, to use technology to influence driver behaviour? #StandForSafety
— Volvo Cars (@volvocars) March 4, 2019
“People often drive too fast in a given traffic situation and have poor speed adaption in relation to that traffic situation and their own capabilities as a driver. We need to support better behaviour and help people realise and understand that speeding is dangerous.”
The Swedish brand is presenting a safety event in Gothenburg on March 20 to present ideas in tackling the intoxication and distraction of drivers.
