We’ve all been there before—you’re driving down the street, and all of a sudden a squirrel or bird runs in front of you, just narrowly avoiding your tires. Even worse is when it’s a larger animal, like a deer, as a potential collision could be both harmful to the animal and your passengers. Thankfully, Volvo engineers have been hard at work trying to engineer a system to prevent such collisions. The result? The 2017 Volvo S90 sedan will be the first vehicle in automotive history to be equipped with large animal detection with autobrake technology!
The technology suite is a combination of radar, camera, and decision-making software, which work together to detect when a large animal, like a deer, moose, or elk, is in the road. If one is detected, audio and visual warnings are triggered to alert the driver to slow down and be on the lookout, and, finally, if a collision is deemed imminent the brakes are applied to avoid or mitigate the accident. It’s a great piece of engineering that really should help save lives—both human and animal. In 2013, for example, there were over 1.2 million deer-related collisions in the US, a number that this Volvo technology could really help cut back on.
This large animal detection technology is just another reason all of us here at Tom Wood Volvo can’t wait for the 2017 Volvo S90 to finally make its way onto our lot. Model year 2017 looks to be an excellent one for the Volvo brand, but we understand if you can’t wait that long to get your hands on a brand new Volvo model—we have plenty of excellent 2016 models just waiting to be taken home! Stop by today!