Volvo's Pedestrian Warning System

Volvo has always had safety in mind when designing their vehicles, and their Pedestrian Warning System is no exception. The system is able to detect pedestrians and apply full braking pressure automatically if the driver fails to do so. It is a concept which Volvo hopes will prevent low-speed pedestrian injuries and fatalities altogether, and reduce the impact speed of higher-speed accidents.

However, there is a margin of error that is evident after watching some testing videos of this system. Don't get me wrong, any prevented accidents are better than someone getting hit, so I think Volvo is on the right track with this innovation, but it's funny to see technology when it fails.

Back in September, Volvo was demonstrating its system when their vehicle failed to recognize and stop before a dummy on three separate occasions. To give them a bit of credit, they did have 650 trouble-free demonstrations. Even the video crew thought it was funny though, as you can hear laughter at the end of the video.

I realize what Volvo is trying to accomplish with this technology - reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities - but can it ever be foolproof?

This isn't the first time Volvo has had problems occur during safety demonstrations. They seem to have bad luck with their tests when the cameras are rolling! I found this one especially humorous since it was a somewhat public event.

Overall, I give Volvo credit for their ingenuity and hard work when it comes to accident avoidance and overall safety, but their newest technology still needs some work.