Volvo Trucks Announces “Zero Accident Vision” Initiative
Automaker Volvo announced a new initiative at the 2017 American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition in Orlando. Volvo pledged to create technologies and systems with the lofty goal of ending highway fatalities—and, in the meantime, work toward ensuring their trucks are not involved in any accidents at all.
Volvo Trucks’ Traffic and Product Safety Director Carl Johan Almqvist presented some sobering statistics at his presentation, including that approximately 1.2 million people are killed annually in traffic accidents. He pointed out this number is comparable to the number of lives lost if there were 10 airplane crashes every single day. Noting that, if that actually happened, planes would likely be grounded until they were made safer, Almqvist’s vision is to apply that impetus for safety to Volvo trucks and hopefully save millions of lives. He also notes, however, that Volvo cannot achieve their Zero Accident Initiative alone. Truck manufacturers, legislators, infrastructure planners, engineers, and other experts around the world will have to work collaboratively to make traffic fatalities a thing of the past.
Four key areas to safety
After gathering and analyzing data from their truck accident research teams, Volvo identified four key areas most important to safety.
- Seat belts. A study showed that out of 20 unrestrained trucker deaths in Sweden, 19 could have been prevented if the driver had been wearing a seat belt. Volvo plans to widely promote seat belt awareness.
- Inattentive driving. Distracted or tired drivers are dangerous to everyone on the road, including themselves. Volvo is testing technologies like interior cabin cameras on continuous record. In the event of an accident, researchers aim to study every event and situation leading up to the incident. They will also be able to verify if the truck’s safety systems worked properly.
- Mixing alcohol with a big rig is a recipe for disaster. Many companies, including Volvo, have alcolocks on their trucks, and Volvo participates in the European Transport Safety Council’s “Safe & Sober” campaign.
- For truckers, increasing their speed means getting to their destination more quickly. But it also means increasing their chance of an accident, as moving a heavy tractor-trailer faster means it takes longer to brake and stop. Fluctuating speed is not good for conserving fuel, either. Better training teaches drivers tips like these, leading to more confident and experienced truckers on the road.
Truck accidents tend to result in serious or catastrophic injuries. Legal cases can be complicated due to the many entities involved—the driver, the truck manufacturer, and others. At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, our lawyers will work tirelessly to uncover who is liable and help build your case. To arrange a no-obligation consultation, call us at 404-961-7650 at our Atlanta office, or in Savannah at 912-651-9967, or fill out our contact form.
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