To close out the new year, Volvo recently revealed great news that exemplifies the company's commitment to the best safety outcomes for its vehicles. Specifically, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) declared the Volvo XC40 as the sole small SUV tested in its revised moderate overlap 2.0 test to earn an overall “Good” rating in every test category.
With just two vehicles that were able to secure an overall “Good” rating, the Volvo XC40 was the only small SUV to achieve a “Good” rating in every individual gn test category as well, based on the test showing minimal risk of injuries for all passengers.
The IIHS is updating its longest-running crash test, the moderate overlap front evaluation, to address what it calls a growing gap in the protection provided for front and rear occupants. To achieve a “Good” rating in the updated test, vehicles must not only indicate minimal risk of injuries for front-row passengers but now must also show minimal risk of injuries for second-row passengers as well.
IIHS’ updated testing includes a second Hybrid III dummy that represents a small woman or 12-year-old child located in the second row behind the driver and utilizes new metrics that evaluate the injuries most frequently seen in rear-seat occupants.
“We’re excited to launch the first frontal crash test in the U.S. to include a rear-occupant dummy,” stated IIHS Senior Research Engineer Marcy Edwards, who led the development of the new evaluation. “This is a fantastic opportunity to rapidly deliver big safety benefits by adapting technologies that we already know to be effective.”
For instance, in the front seat, crash tensioners tighten the seat belts the exact moment a crash begins so that the occupant’s body begins to slow with the vehicle. Directly afterward, as the tightened belt prevents the occupant from flying forward, force limiters help some of the webbing to spool out to reduce the risk of chest injuries, IIHS explained.
Volvo Cars has a long history of providing top performance when tested in newly-introduced safety standards. Despite being introduced in 2002, in 2014 the first-generation Volvo XC90 earned a “Good” rating in the then newly introduced small overlap front crash test. According to the IIHS, “while many vehicles have had to undergo significant structural changes to earn good ratings in the small overlap test, the [2014] XC90 has had the same basic platform since 2003.”
Now, the XC40—introduced in 2017—has passed another new test with flying colors.
“At Volvo Cars, we have always designed and built our cars to our own exacting safety standards based on our knowledge studying real world crashes,” said Thomas Broberg, acting head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center. “To have our work validated by the experts at the IIHS in their newest test adds to the pride we take in our safety focus for every vehicle we produce.”
Keep reading our blog at Scott Volvo in Allentown for the newest details on all of Volvo’s safe and innovative models! Take a look through our inventory for the newest editions, and if you have any questions or want to schedule a drive, contact us today!
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