In 1927, when Volvo founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson drew plans for their first motorcar, they believed that good design must include the utmost consideration for safety. Their commitment to safety has endured, and has been embraced and expanded today in Gothenburg, Sweden, headquarters of Volvo Cars. Through the years, Volvo has designed safety features based on extensive research of real-world accidents.
In 1970, we formed the Volvo Accident Investigation Team to study accidents involving Volvos. Since then the team has researched more than 20,000 individual accidents, resulting in significant improvements in automobile safety design, many of which have since been adopted by other carmakers. We are proud of this tradition, and hope that our innovations continue to inspire higher standards of safety throughout the automobile industry.
Volvo Safety Milestones
- 1944 Safety cage
- 1944 Laminated windshield
- 1959 Three-point seat belts in the front
- 1960 Padded dashboard
- 1964 Prototype of the first rear-facing child seat
- 1966 Energy-absorbent crumple zones at both front and rear
- 1967 Seat belts in the rear
- 1968 Head restraints in the front
- 1969 Three-point, inertia-reel seat belts in the front
- 1970 Establishment of the Volvo Accident Research Team
- 1972 Three-point seat belts in the rear
- 1972 Rear-facing child seat and childproof locks in the rear
- 1973 Collapsible steering column
- 1974 Energy-absorbent bumpers
- 1974 Fuel tank located ahead of rear axle
- 1978 Child booster seat
- 1982 Anti-submarining protection in the front and rear seats
- 1982 Wide-angle door mirrors
- 1984 ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
- 1986 High-level brake light
- 1986 Three-point seat belt in the center rear seat
- 1987 Driver airbag
- 1990 Integrated child booster seat
- 1991 SIPS (Side-Impact Protection System)
- 1991 Automatic height adjustment of the front seat belts
- 1993 Three-point, inertia-reel seat belts standard in all seats
- 1994 SIPS bags (side-impact airbags)
- 1997 ROPS (Rollover Protection System) (convertible models)
- 1998 WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System)
- 1998 IC (Inflatable Curtain)
- 2000 Inauguration of Volvo Cars Safety Center in Gothenburg
- 2000 ISOFIX attachment system for all child seats
- 2000 Dual-stage inflation airbags
- 2001 Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC)
- 2002 Extended rollover protection system (ROPS)
- 2002 Development of the virtual pregnant crash test dummy
- 2002 RSC (Roll Stability Control)
- 2003 IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System)
- 2003 Rear seat belt reminders (in S40 and V50)
- 2003 New, patented, front-end structure reduces collision forces
- 2003 Inauguration of Volvo's Traffic Accident Research Team in Bangkok
- 2004 WRG (Water Repellent Glass)
- 2005 Introduction of DMIC (Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain) on the All-New Volvo C70