Volvo Errs On The Slide Of Safety

The smartest car seats ever and a life-saving innovation on a par with the crumple zone - that's how Volvo is billing its Safety Ride Down system, seen at last week's Detroit Motor Show. The whole floor slides forward in a head-on smash, lessening the impact on occupants.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Richard Yarrow

18th January 2005

Lars Erik Lundin, vice-president and general manager of the firm's US monitoring and concept centre, said: "I am working hard to get this into production." But he warned there is still lots to do. "It could come in by 2010," he added.

The clever cabin was fitted to the 3CC concept car. Although the vehicle itself has been seen before - it debuted last year (Issue 828) - its interior is all-new. The steering wheel, seats and part of the dash can all move forward by as much as 20cm, effectively increasing the model's stopping distance and reducing the forces acting on occupants. Adaptive shock absorbers adjust the movement of the interior, depending on the force of the smash. In a collision with Volvo's S80 executive, both sets of occupants would emerge in the same condition - even though the 3CC weighs only half as much.

Volvo believes the system could revolutionise car interiors. "It's not on a par with seatbelts as a safety device, but I believe it's up there with crumple zones," said Lundin. He added that the innovation, which also allows the seats to move forward for improved rear access, is not new. "The original patent was taken out in 1964, but it expired," he admitted. "We don't even know who it was that had the idea first."