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Friday, January 30, 2009

City Safety is just one of several new technologies designed to prevent car crashes and save lives. Auto sales are at a nearly two-decade low, but the pace of safety innovations continues unabated. Whereas air bags, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control were the standard for a safe car until very recently, automakers continue to raise the stakes.

Radar, lasers and cameras work with computers and sophisticated software to do tasks unheard of just a few years ago. They tell you if you're falling asleep at the wheel, or if a car is in your blind spot. If you drift from your lane, they warn you, and in some instances, nudge you back into your lane. And modern cruise control doesn't just keep a steady speed, but can help your car keep a steady distance with the car in front of you.

"There's no question the vehicle itself has played a role in the decline of fatalities," said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). "But we're pretty much convinced there aren't that many safety benefits to be gained based on the crash-worthiness of passenger vehicles. The next frontier would be to help the driver avoid the crash in the first place."

All consumers should eventually benefit. Although most of the new systems first arrive in luxury vehicles, the most successful technologies usually show up in mainstream sedans and minivans within a few years. And prices fall as the rate of implementation increases.

There's evidence these new safety systems already are saving lives. NHTSA recently reported that the number of Americans killed in traffic accidents reached a 14-year low in 2008, and that the fatality rate per 100 million miles driven fell to 1.28, down from 1.37 in 2007.

The federal agency says electronic stability control and other "innovative technologies" have contributed to the decrease.

For many buyers, Volvo and safety are synonymous. Volvo has long marketed itself as the maker of the safest cars, and although the company still projects a Nordic reserve, it's unabashed about the new XC60, which will sell for under $40,000.

"We probably created the safest car in the world," said Thomas Broberg, a senior engineer at the Volvo Cars Safety Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.


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