Industry News from Yes Insurance

In a bid to understand the reasons behind car crashes and how to prevent future ones, Volvo has built a new accident research centre in China.

China is the obvious home for a research facility specialising in the data analysis of car crashes because 100,000 people are killed in traffic accidents in China each year, compared with around 3,500 in the UK.

Volvo boss Fredrik Arp said: "In recent years we have focused on what happens during the final few seconds before the accident actually takes place. This has created better potential for devising preventative systems that help our customers avoid accidents in the first place."

This latest accident research centre will join Volvo's three previous sites in the US, Thailand and Sweden in providing information which will play a crucial part in the development of future car designs.

Previous research has led to the safety systems in current Volvos, like the collision detection system which primes the brakes for shorter stopping distances, the three point seatbelt and the deformable steering wheel.

If manufacturers could find a way to prevent car accidents altogether, consumers will benefit most, not just from escaping injuries and fatalities caused by a car crash, but also in terms of being able to get cheaper car insurance.