volvo has released new research findings to highlight the importance of driving at a safe speed and underline some of the best ways to keep families safe on the road.
New research undertaken by Volvo in the UK has revealed that, of British parents who have primarily used a front-facing car seat for their child, a huge 94% first used this seat when their child was four years old or under – going against Volvo Cars’ recommendations. What’s more, a fifth (20%) of these said they used a front-facing seat before their child was six months old.
With years of safety testing experience to call on, Volvo strongly advises parents to use rear-facing seats up to the age of four – or for as long as possible – to significantly reduce the risk of injury to young children in road traffic accidents.
Dr Lotta Jakobsson, Senior Technical Specialist in Injury Prevention at Volvo Cars, explained: “Children up to four need to travel rearward-facing in cars, simply because their neck is too weak to support the head. You therefore need to protect them. We need to communicate this message to everybody so they understand the importance of having the children rearward-facing, because if they end up in a high-severity frontal impact, it’s a question of life or death.”
Volvo’s safety advice doesn’t stop at keeping young children safe. Volvo’s new research revealed that 47% of parents worry about their teenager speeding**, while 52% of parents would like to be able to control the speed of their teenager’s car*. Almost a fifth (19%) of parents of teenagers also agree*** that they would rather get a taxi than a lift from their teenager.
Speed is one of the biggest threats to road safety, and it’s one variable that can now be controlled thanks to Volvo’s Care Key. Giving parents peace of mind while their teens are on the road, the Care Key allows them to pre-set a maximum speed of the car before the teen gets behind the wheel, ultimately keeping them safer on the road. This feature can also be used on other occasions; for example, when entrusting their car to valet parking attendants.
Malin Ekholm, Head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said: “Distraction, disturbance and anything linked to inattention while driving is a hazard. Technology is moving forward, so we want to start addressing these hazards with a safety feature that allows parents to be able to decide what is a reasonable speed for whomever they’re lending the car to.”
Volvo’s industry-leading safety innovations go beyond regulation and legislation to help close the remaining gap to zero serious injuries and fatalities in traffic.
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