Hariphil Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Volvo Cars in the Philippines, is celebrating Women’s Month by highlighting Volvo’s dedication to inclusive safety systems. The celebration of Women’s Month also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the three-point seatbelt, one of the most important automotive safety innovations in history.
The modern three-point seatbelt was perfected by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959, and its patent was given for free so that other automakers could integrate it as part of their overall safety features. Inspired by its dedication to vehicle safety, Volvo continues to develop studies in pursuit of producing safer cars for all.
Among the inclusive safety systems from Volvo is its research on the development of the world’s first computer model of a pregnant crash test dummy. This advanced “virtual” model represents a woman in the later stages of pregnancy when both mother and fetus are most vulnerable to collisions.
Through this, Volvo and its engineers have a way of studying in detail how safety systems such as seatbelts and airbags protect both mother and child. This testing has been used in all Volvo models since 2002.
Volvo Philippines added that the Swedish car brand further reinforced its dedication to vehicle safety through its EVA Initiative (Equal Vehicles for All). EVA is Volvo’s program built on decades of real-world safety data aimed at advancing more inclusive vehicle design and improving protection for all road users.
The car brand shared that its EVA research revealed that women were 71 percent more likely to be injured and 17 percent more likely to die in car crashes. The reason for this is that vehicle safety systems had historically been designed and tested using male crash-test data, according to Volvo.
As a result, Volvo’s EVA Initiative encourages broader collaboration with car manufacturers in developing more inclusive safety standards. The initiative received global recognition, including a Gold Pencil at The One Show 2020.
“Volvo has always believed that safety should be designed for everyone, including women. Celebrating Women’s Month and the 70th anniversary of the three-point seatbelt, we honor Volvo’s legacy of life-saving innovation while reinforcing our mission to make every journey safer, more inclusive, and designed with people in mind,” said HARI Vice Chairman, President, and CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo.
Autocar’s Take
Volvo has been and continues to be a car brand that places a high priority on overall vehicle safety. From the advancements made on the three-point seatbelt, Volvo is determined to find ways to further improve safety by looking into inclusive safety systems. The idea of using a pregnant crash test dummy is useful as it gives additional insights to engineers in advancing more inclusive vehicle design and improving protection for all road users.
In the Philippines, Volvo is determined to push overall vehicle and road safety. Aside from highlighting the safety features integrated into its products, Volvo Philippines is also organizing forums that are centered on promoting road safety.
