Volvo Cars Safety Centre celebrates 20 years of protecting drivers

Volvo’s pioneering safety testing lab turns 20 this year and continues as one of the world’s most advanced automotive safety testing facilities with a range of technologies and equipment to simulate every type of crash imaginable.

This is where Volvo recently tested extreme collision scenarios by dropping a car from 30 metres using a crane. The facility also has two long crash test tracks that can power cars to up to 120 km/h and that can be angled to simulate different types of crashes.

“Being committed to safety is not about passing a test or getting a safety rating,” said Thomas Broberg, one of Volvo Cars’ leading safety engineers and a two-decade company veteran. “Our commitment to safety is about finding out how and why accidents and injuries occur and then developing the technology to help prevent them. We hope our pioneering work will inspire others to follow, our ambition to reduce road traffic casualties worldwide.”

There are a ton of props as well including a simulated moose to test animal detection. An impressive crash barrier weighing 850 tonnes is also used for side, rear and front impacts.

“No matter what the scenario, we can recreate it here at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre and analyze it in detail,” said Thomas Broberg. “For me, it is very inspiring to realize that for every hour of testing and analysis, we put in, we get closer and closer to our ambition that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.”