Volvo releases video about V40 external airbag

When the Volvo V40 made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, it gave us a second glance. Not because of the design (although it is a stylish hatchback), but because of the revolutionary external front airbag. External airbags?

Yes, you read that right. China leads with a 25 percent of fatalities being pedestrian-related, followed by Europe at 14 percent and the United States at 12 percent. Pedestrian safety regulations have gone into place in Europe, and it is causing a change in exterior vehicle design. Volvo, ever the leader in safety, has taken this effort to a whole new level.

The first component was City Safety with Pedestrian detection, a system that helps slow the vehicle to avoid impact with a pedestrians. Second, is the exterior airbag. Both efforts are elements of the company’s worthy goal to eliminate fatalities in Volvo vehicles by 2020. Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Advisor for Safety at Volvo Car Corporation explains the system: “The purpose of the airbag is to help protect pedestrians in certain situations when they impact the bonnet and the area around the windscreen wiper recess and A-pillar, where there may be a risk of serious head injuries.”

It is active between 12 and 31 mph and uses a series of seven sensors embedded in metal plates. It is clearly smart and has been developed to only recognize the influence of pedestrians. We will see how it works. However, Volvo not only provided a press release about it, but also produced a video demonstrating how the system works. You can check it out below. Unfortunately, Volvo has no plans to provide the V40 in the United States. However, we will not be surprised to see this technology appear on other Volvo models. Thank you Volvo for continuing to work hard to save lives.