For many individuals seeking to buy a new car, safety is paramount, ranking higher in priority than the color or many other options. While many safety features are now standard in all vehicle models, Volvo recently announced a new safety feature that will be available on some of its V40 models. This particular feature is designed to protect not the occupants of the vehicle, but rather walkers and bicyclists who may be in the path of the vehicle.

The safety feature is twofold. First, it contains a radar device that will be able to determine when it is likely that a pedestrian will move so that he or she is in the path of the car. The radar will alert the driver by flashing lights and making a sound. In cases where the person operating the vehicle is unable to stop the vehicle in time, the brakes will operate on their own to stop the vehicle from striking the pedestrian. It is designed to work when the car is travelling up to 21 miles per hour.

In addition to the radar, the cars also come equipped with an exterior airbag. The airbags are designed to protect a pedestrian should the car be unable to stop in time. It will deploy when the car is traveling up to 30 miles per hour. Once deployed, the airbag covers a portion of the vehicle's windshield. In conjunction with the airbag inflating, the hood of the vehicle also pops to better cushion the force of the impact.

Despite the push to make cars in the United States safer, the feature is not currently expected to be available in U.S.

Source: Popular Science, "Volvo's New Exterior Airbags Protect Pedestrians," Shaunacy Ferro, Feb. 20, 2013

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