Accidents: Women are less protected, this belt promises to change that

O risk of injury in road accidents is not the same for all. For women, is higher in certain types of injury by comparison with men, even if the severity of the impact is similar.

In part, because many security systems have been designed and tested with a specific reference – a male occupant of medium height. That's what you can read in a Volvo communiqué.

One already austrian study published by the Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure of the country suggests that the risk of injuries is 1.6 times higher for women, who also suffer serious injuries in clashes at lower speeds compared to men.

Volvo enters here with the E.V.A. Initiative (Equal Vehicles for All, or Equal Vehicles for All). Launched in 2019, it covers not only universities and research centres, but manufacturers – giving free access to their experience of over five decades of real-world road accident research.

Now it's opening your first multi-adaptative seat belt in the world in Volvo EX60 – and that will apply to other models of its future range, based on the SPA3 platform that also equips the SUV 100 percent electric.

Sensors analyze the particular factors of each occupant in real time – from weight to height, including posture – as well as the severity of impact.

So, in the event of an accident, you can automatically adjust the load applied by the belt accordingly – which provides more individualised and precise protection. The risk of injuries in people with different physical characteristics is thus mitigated.

But the system will not be static on how to get to the market: the possibility of introducing remote updates (over-the-air) will keep you up to date and progress with new data collected throughout the vehicle's life cycle.

Luís Santos, director of CX, Comms and Marketing at Volvo Car Portugal, explained in a statement: “In Volvo, we believe that security should adapt to people, not the other way around. Inclusive design is now part of the way we develop new technologies, allowing us to create security systems capable of better responding to the differences between occupants and offering more personalized protection.”.