Volvo trucks get Connected Safety

Thanks to pioneering collaboration, two independent vehicle manufacturers are allowing their cars and trucks to share real-time traffic hazard information. Volvo Trucks is introducing a cloud-based service, Connected Safety, which allows Volvo trucks and Volvo cars to automatically alert each other to hazardous traffic situations.

The passenger-car version of Connected Safety was launched by Volvo Cars in 2016. With Volvo Trucks now rolling out its version of the service, trucks and cars are able to alert each other to potential hazards. This is possible because the two companies share safety-related data between their respective clouds.

“Expanded co-operation between different players is one of the most important keys to improved road safety. If more vehicles are able to exchange real-time information about the traffic situation, it will lower the risk of accidents. With Connected Safety we are opening the door to the future, with the hope that more vehicle manufacturers will join in,” said Carl Johan Almqvist, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks.

Connected Safety was developed to send out alerts to nearby vehicles connected to the service whenever a driver activates the vehicle’s hazard warning lights.

“A vehicle standing still by the roadside in poor visibility risks being hit from the rear, which can have severe consequences. An alert issued well in advance gives all drivers of nearby cars and trucks the same opportunity to reduce speed, adjust their driving to the traffic situation and avoid a collision,” explained Almqvist.

In the longer term, the cloud-based service can be expanded with additional safety-enhancing functions.

Volvo Trucks will initially introduce Connected Safety on new trucks in Sweden and Norway, where both Volvo Trucks and Volvo Cars account for a significant proportion of annual new-vehicle registrations.

Commenting on the introduction of Connected Safety, Mitch Peden, Vice President, Volvo Trucks Australia said: “It is exciting to see Volvo in Sweden and Norway leading the way with this new innovation, which gives other markets the opportunity to see how the technology might be put to use elsewhere.

"We are focused on developing new technology that is seamless, easy to use, and makes the world’s roads safer for our drivers and other road users. Connected Safety demonstrates Volvo’s ongoing commitment towards a future with zero accidents involving a Volvo truck.

“Volvo has always been for safety, ever since 1959 when we invented the three-point seatbelt and shared the patent with other manufacturers to help make the roads safer. Connected Safety takes us another step forward on Volvo’s journey towards safer roads, and we look forward to seeing the benefits it brings to all road users,” Mr Peden concluded.

Volvo Trucks Connected Safety: Facts
>> Here’s how Connected Safety works: When the hazard warning lights are switched on, the truck sends a signal via the driver’s Internet-connected mobile phone to Volvo Trucks’ cloud service. From there, the information is forwarded to the corresponding service at Volvo Cars. An alert is then transmitted to all connected cars and trucks approaching the location of the vehicle whose hazard lights have been activated.

>> The system will be available in Sweden and Norway during 2018. Connected Safety is applicable to the Volvo FH16, Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX equipped with Volvo Trucks’ integrated system for services and infotainment, depending on the truck’s specification and choice of services.

>> Additional safety systems for Volvo trucks includes: Adaptive Cruise Control – active cruise control that helps the driver maintain a pre-set time gap to the vehicle in front. Collision warning with Emergency Brake – designed to alert the driver to the risk of a collision with the vehicle in front and to activate the brakes if necessary. Driver Alert Support – alerts the driver to stop for a break if the system identifies signs of inattentiveness.