Volvo's Pedestrian Detection.

What can you buy for an additional $2,100 from Volvo that you won't find on any of the cars from Nissan CT?  Pedestrian Detection, which is part of the technology package available on the 2011 Volvo S60.  The cars that you can buy from Chevrolet Detroit are loaded with safety features like stability and traction control, air bags, and anti-lock brakes.  But, the new technology that Volvo is putting on their best selling S60 sedan is even better and smarter than the previous City Safety system that was installed on the cars.  City Safety would detect vehicles that were either stopped or slowly moving and would apply pressure to the brakes at speeds below 9 mph to avoid a collision if the driver wasn't doing anything to stop the car. 

With a starting price of $38,550, the Volvo S60 costs a lot more than many of the cars you can get from Honda St. Louis.  If you look beyond the price of the S60, you will realize how much value is tied up in the Swedish automaker's mid-size sedan.  The 2011 S60 now comes standard with City Safety, but the Technology package mentioned earlier offers a lot of features wrapped up in one.  In addition to Pedestrian Detection, drivers will enjoy other safety technology features like adaptive cruise control and collision lane departure warning systems.  The only thing missing is auto-pilot!

Pedestrian Detection will bring the vehicle to a complete stop when it has been traveling at speeds below 22 mph.  Once the brakes are applied, the car will stop with a few feet to spare in front of the pedestrian.  The sensors are tied into the car's computer that has been uploaded with 10,000 images of what human shapes might look like.  As long as the person is above 32 inches tall, the system is supposed to work flawlessly. 

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