Though station wagons, family road trips, classic, comfort, and style all come to mind when you think of Volvo Cars, one association often tends to prevail above all else: superior safety.
And it’s a well-earned accolade!
Did you know that in 1959, Volvo was the company that invented and introduced to the public the three-point safety belt? Before 1959, people were just single-strapping across the lap and white-knuckling their highway rides with a prayer hands emoji (they didn’t have that yet either, they just used their regular hands. Unbelievable, such a strong generation. To live without modern seat belts or emojis?!).
But hand in hand (heh, puns) with safety comes innovation in the world of Volvo, because they always kick safety needs up a notch for their customers and the rest of the drivers on the road.
The three-point safety belt is “estimated to have saved over one million lives globally, not just in Volvo cars but in numerous others, thanks to its decision to share the invention in the interest of improving traffic safety.” That’s another word that might come to mind with Volvo: magnanimous. Or, in layman’s terms, Volvo is pretty sweet. Good dudes and ladies, those Volvo folks.
Now, sixty years later, Volvo is lauded by Fast Company’s Innovation in Design Awards for their continued dedication as pioneers in the safety landscape. Fast Company “recognizes people, teams, and companies solving problems through design”, and this year, Volvo is awarded for their shared central digital library of research. Sharing ample research on accident data as well as ongoing efforts to ensure that people of all genders and sizes are protected in accidents further shows the commitment Volvo has to safety development for all.