Yahoo Autos Volvo Developed a New World-First Bike Helmet Crash Test for Cars
Volvo and Swedish helmet maker POC have created a new crash test for bicycle helmets.
It's the first time a helmet has been put on crash-test dummy and been tested against a car.
Every Volvo since 2013 has had a cyclist detection and avoidance system as standard.
In a partnership with POC, a Swedish brand specializing in sports helmets and apparel, Volvo has devised a new kind of crash test to improve the safety of bicyclists in collisions with vehicles, something that the automaker says is a world first.
Even though accidents between cars and bikes frequently result in serious injuries or death, Volvo says existing testing for bike helmets is "rudimentary," consisting mainly of helmets being dropped from varying heights onto different surfaces-with no cars involved. In Volvo's new test, a POC helmet is put on a crash-test dummy that is stuck on a testing rig; the dummy is then "launched" at multiple speeds and angles onto different areas of a stationary Volvo's hood.
The new testing will help Volvo to improve its existing crash testing and safety systems as well as help POC to develop better helmets to improve safety for drivers and cyclists across the board. And because the test is based on the existing tests for pedestrian head protection, Volvo and POC will be able to gather data and compare the results of wearing a helmet to not wearing one-yet another way, Volvo points out, that it is using data to improve safety throughout the auto industry.
Volvo already is a pioneer in the field of bike-related safety with its cyclist-detection system, which is an extension of its existing technology including automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and large-animal detection. The system uses the car's radar and cameras to detect bicyclists, then warns the driver and fully applies the brakes if necessary. It has been standard on every Volvo worldwide since 2013.
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