Volvo releases accident footage
Shocking in-cab vision of a Volvo FH colliding with a wayward outback road train trailer highlights importance of truck safety systemsVolvo Trucks has released some chilling in-cab video of the moment a Volvo FH collides with the fourth trailer of a road train in outback Australia, saying the vision highlights the FH's many safety attributes in spectacular fashion.
The vision shows the moment of impact when the trailer strikes the front of the FH's cab, an event which trigger's the trucks airbag and a number of other safety systems. The incident occurred just after midnight, after the fourth trailer of the oncoming road train had worked itself loose and begun to sway over the centre of the highway.
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The Volvo FH16 was travelling at 85km/h at the time of the impact, yet the driver was able to walk away from the incident with little more than a grazed knee.
Safety: the ultimate priority
Volvo Trucks Australia says it's released the clip to remind all truck drivers of putting their safety first, while citing the importance of the safety focus incorporated into Volvo trucks.
Volvo says its FH16 undergoes what it terms as "the most rigorous cab crash safety tests in the world – the Swedish Cab Test."
According to Vice President of Volvo Trucks Australia, Tony O’Connell, the clip also underlines just how random some road accidents can be.
"The value of this video is that it shows how quickly an everyday drive can turn into an accident, through no fault of the driver," he said.
"Safety is at the heart of everything Volvo does and a number of design features combined to ensure the driver was protected and walked away without suffering injury or worse.
"The critical life-saving safety feature in this collision was the three-point seat belt, without which the outcome for the driver would likely have been quite different."
Seat belt a crucial factor
By wearing his seat belt, the driver of the Volvo truck was kept in position while all of the vehicle's other safety features engaged around him, says Volvo.
"Too many non-belted truck drivers lose their lives needlessly," added Mr O’Connell.
"Our research shows that 50 per cent of non-belted truck occupants killed in accidents would have survived if their seat belts had been properly used.
"We urge all road users – truck and car drivers and passengers of coaches fitted with seat belts – to please use them.
"Put your safety first, put on your seat belt."
The three-point seat belt was invented and patented by Volvo in 1959. The patent was left open, so other automobile manufacturers could adopt this life-saving passive safety feature.
Click here to learn more about the Volvo FH's safety features.
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