[Quietcars] Volvo to include safety for pedestrian accident avoidance on 2011 model.

[michael townsend]

Here's something interesting that I haven't seen posted on any guide dog or
consumer for the blind listing thus far and may be a good thing to look
into.  I'm a car nut but I think that this spans the gaps between being a
car lover and a pedestrian who demands that the auto industry own up to
something that has been missing in terms of their responsibility towards us,
the pedestrian be we blind, sighted or otherwise equipped.  

Mike T
2011 Volvo S60 to Include Pedestrian Detection Safety System
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Volvo
 has always been a pioneer in automobile safety. With the all-new
2011 Volvo S60
 sport sedan debuting this week at the
New York Auto Show
, the Sweden-based and now
Chinese-owned
 automaker is introducing yet another world's-first safety innovation:
Pedestrian Detection
 with Full Auto Brake.
The system uses a radar detector and camera that work together to warn
drivers that
a pedestrian has stepped into the vehicle's path. And if the driver fails to
react
to the warnings, the system activates the braking system and can fully stop
the car
in some instances, much like Volvo's
City Safety
 that's designed to prevent car-to-car collisions in stop-and-go traffic and
will
also be standard on the 2011 S60.
A newly developed dual-mode radar integrated into the S60's front grille
senses an
object in the car's path and determines how far away it is, while the camera
identifies
it as a pedestrian. When a central processing unit decides that the radar
and camera
have detected a pedestrian, the system can stop the vehicle in time to avoid
an accident
at speeds up to 22 mph.
Over that speed, the system can significantly lower the velocity of the
vehicle before
impact.  Volvo says studies have shown that reducing the speed at impact
from 31
mph to 16 mph can cut the risk of fatalities by up to 85 percent. The
company also
notes that pedestrians represent 11 percent of all traffic fatalities in the
U.S.
With the all-new 2011 S60's turbo-charged T6 engine and sexy sheet metal,
Volvo has
made a significant shift away from its safety-focused strategy in marketing
the car,
even going as far as calling it
naughty
. But Pedestrian Detection is awfully nice. --
 Leslie Shapiro, Contributor
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2010/04/2011-volvo-s60-to-include-pedest
rian-detection-safety-system.html

"I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself...but I think
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Mike Townsend and Seeing Eye dog Brent
Dunellen, New Jersey  08812
emails:  mrtownsend at optonline.net; 
michael.townsend54 at gmail.com
Home Phone:  732  200-5643
Cellular:  732  718-9480