Affirming their position as safety innovation leader in the automotive sector, Volvo Cars Thailand launches the next step in their Road Safety Campaign to reduce car accidents and improve pedestrian safety in Thailand. Every month, across the country, pedestrians are injured on their way to work; and in Rayong, where accident levels are notably high, the area around Wat Koh School is a hotspot for collisions. This year, Volvo will be addressing road safety concerns in and around Wat Koh School with a variety of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives:
- Three crosswalks and rumble strips will be strategically placed at three key points on surrounding main roads, to prevent accidents.
- Volvo will be providing safety sign to the local community for them to place over the public and private road.
- One hundred helmets will be pledged to school students; an accompanying helmet painting activity will give students the opportunity to paint helmets in their own style.
- Safety Vests donated to young students and their families in communities surrounding schools to make awareness and improve road safety.
- An infotainment (information and education) program will educate students and parents about road safety knowledge, covering topics such as ‘traffic light safety’, ‘road sign recognition’ and ‘how to cross the crosswalk safely’.
- Volvo will also establish a student playground, and invites Volvo executives, employees, dealers, clients, media and members of the local community to meet with students and paint this playground area together as a symbol of collaboration and shared commitment to road safety.
Chris Wailes, Managing Director, Volvo Cars (Thailand) Limited, explained, “This year marks the 60th anniversary of the three-point safety belt, introduced by Volvo in 1959. An innovation widely shared with other car manufacturers to enhance driver and passenger safety, and prevent road traffic accidents, the three-point safety belt is estimated to have saved over one million lives globally. Since the founding of the company in 1927, the Volvo brand has been synonymous with Road Safety; not just because of the emphasis on safety within our cars, but because we have continued to share our knowledge with other car manufacturers throughout our history.
Sharing knowledge is something which Volvo continues to prioritise every year. This year marks the second time that Volvo Cars Thailand will focus on both education and provision of a safety package as part of our committed Road Safety Campaign. Educating our children about road safety helps to change behaviour and protects future generations, whilst the safety package we provide today will give immediate support.”
Chris further shared, “According to data from the Thai Road Accident Data Center, there were 4,719 accidents in Rayong last year and sadly 236 citizens lost their lives. 4,660 of these accidents involved motorcycles, which left 224 families without a loved one. There were also 59 accidents last year involving cars, of which 12 people sadly lost their lives. The area that we are supporting with our Road Safety Campaign is situated in the province with the fifth highest number of road accidents in Rayong. This is the reason why we are committed to helping this local community.
We believe that through education and providing much-needed safety equipment, including road signage, painted crosswalks, and one hundred helmets for children who ride to school on their family’s motorcycles on a daily basis, we can help to reduce accidents in the short and the long term.”
Last year, the first step in Volvo’s Road Safety Campaign was the donation of 10,000 high visibility jackets to the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation-sponsored Mechai Bamboo School. Mechai Bamboo School shared the high visibility jackets with 158 rural government schools across the country as part of the School-BIRD program (School-Based Integrated Rural Development program) to improve road safety for young students and their families. Wat Koh School is one of the schools within the Mechai Bamboo School network who benefitted from this first step.
Mr. Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman Mechai Viravaidya Foundation shared his view that, “Every day, local people risk their lives travelling to school or work. Successful private sector businesses should feel a responsibility to support society through collaboration with local schools and communities; together, we can prevent road accidents in high-risk spots, but this requires commitment and funding. To this end, I am delighted that once again Volvo Cars Thailand is demonstrating their commitment to Road Safety for schools and local communities through this year’s project at Wat Koh School. By offering volunteer support, on top of education and a safety package, Volvo makes an active, practical statement that they wish to help the people and society of Thailand in the short and long term. I know that the students and staff are looking forward to welcoming the volunteer team of Volvo executives, employees and dealers, as well as clients, media and members of the local community. I sincerely hope that other car manufacturers will follow this inspiring example and integrate similar Road Safety campaigns in the future.”
Volvo’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility was further demonstrated in July last year when two hundred Volvo executives, employees, dealers, clients, media and members of the local community removed plastic waste and other garbage from Bangsaen Saensuk City Beach, Chonburi Province. Part of a global beach cleaning initiative to raise awareness and help tackle plastic pollution in our oceans around the world, over 850 Volvo Cars employees and dealership staff in 16 countries put down their tools, and instead picked up litter in aid of the 2018 United Nations’ World Environment Day.
Volvo’s focus on protecting and caring for people has made Volvo Cars a leader in safety, inspiring innovations such as the design and implementation of the first three-point safety belt, the first booster cushion for children, and the E.V.A. project which targets safety equality in all cars. Developed with the aim to protect all people, regardless of gender, height, shape or weight, one of the safety innovations featured is the Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) that has helped to save countless lives and prevent injuries all over the world. These innovations are the result of Volvo Cars’ approach to safety – a systematic approach based on real-world situations that is unique in the car industry.
To highlight the safety features in Volvo’s XC40, XC60, XC90 and S90 models, 30 members of the media were recently invited to join a round-trip test drive from Bangkok to Rayong. This gave the perfect opportunity to showcase the IntelliSafe safety and driver assistance technology which comes as standard in new XC40, XC60, XC90 and S90 models, and is designed to provide everyday peace of mind and convenience by helping drivers stay in control. This high level of standard safety in all new Volvo cars is a vital element in helping Volvo to achieve their safety vision of reducing exposure to safety conflicts on all vehicles, contributing towards the brand’s Vision 2020 – that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car from 2020.
IntelliSafe is the standard safety equipment in all new Volvo cars – a suite of features that delivers a high level of collaborative, convenient and intelligent assistance in everyday traffic situations, designed to lessen the cognitive load and allow the driver to focus on their driving enjoyment.
IntelliSafe technology includes the following features:
- City Safety helps protect people inside and outside the car by spotting potential dangers and helping drivers avoid it. City Safety uses radar and camera technology to identify other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and large animals, day or night. It warns drivers if it detects an imminent collision and, if the driver does not react in time, it can automatically apply the brakes to help avoid or mitigate a collision.
- Pilot Assist is designed to provide collaborative, intelligent and directable assistance while the driver maintains control at all times. It helps reduce driver strain in tedious driving situations and increases safety margins. The system delivers enhanced speed and distance keeping, and a more consistent and precise position in lane.
- Oncoming Lane Mitigation helps drivers to avoid collisions with vehicles in an oncoming lane. The system works by alerting a driver who has unwittingly wandered out of a driving lane by providing automatic steering assistance, guiding them back into their own lane and out of the path of any oncoming vehicle (active between 60-140 km/h).
- Blind Spot Information System, which alerts drivers to the presence of vehicles in their blind spot, has also received an update to include steer assist functionality that helps to avoid potential collisions with vehicles in a blind spot by steering the car back into its own lane and away from danger.
