Mother Proof's view

Remember when Tom Cruise was still cool and we actually paid to see his movies? That was back in the day of films such as “Minority Report.” That was also when plots centering on the Department of Pre-Crime were pure fiction. Imagine a similar world today, where vehicular atrocities such as break-ins and rear-end collisions could be detected and nearly prevented before they happen. Imagine a car that may actually improve your state of health.

S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R, 2-0-0-6: Enter the Department of Pre-Collision (also known as Volvo’s Safety Center), where I’ve been learning about and test driving the genetically altered all-new 2007 Volvo S80. At Volvo’s Safety Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, every possible effort is poured into preventative safety. What can be done to cut down on the possibility of an accident before one even happens? Since the early 1970s, a Volvo Traffic Accident Research Team has been on call 24 hours a day to immediately respond to the site of Volvos involved in an accident within their immediate vicinity. This team collects data on how the vehicles performed in real-world crashes, including researching police and medical records in conjunction with the accident.

This team also delves much deeper into understanding what causes accidents to begin with. Is it a drowsy driver, or a driver distracted by children in the back? That information is used to develop futuristic renditions of safety innovations, such as the Collision Warning System. Because 93 percent of rear-end collisions are caused by driver inattention, the Collision Warning with Brake Support System in the ’07 Volvo S80 works to curb that. The vehicle detects a possible collision before it happens and warns the driver to brake immediately by flashing holographic-like red lights on the windshield and emanating a loud beeping sound. The brakes are pre-loaded to shorten braking distance. Watch out for Volvo’s pre-crime unit, who might just swoop in and take you into custody for a crime you just nearly committed.

In the very near future, this Collision Warning System will evolve to include automatic braking, allowing the vehicle to take over braking if the driver is unable to react in time. Ultimately, it may include automatic steering as well, allowing the vehicle to steer itself around potential obstructions when necessary.

Volvo’s new Blind Spot Information System is a standalone option on the ’07 S80. A camera mounted just below each of the two side mirrors looks for any cars – or non-human droids bent on apocalyptic destruction – that might be located in the vehicle’s blind spot. A light inside the vehicle near the side mirrors illuminates to warn the driver.

If you’re beginning to think that the S80 couldn’t possible get any more freakishly robotic, just wait until you hear about the Personal Car Communicator. By pushing a button on the key fob up to 330 feet away from the car, a green light illuminates to tell me if I locked my car doors (perfect for those of us with OCD). An amber light informs me that I didn’t lock my car, and a red light indicates that the car’s alarm has sounded. If the vehicle’s alarm has gone off, a heartbeat sensor within the vehicle transmits to the key fob to inform the driver (via a blinking red light) that a person (or at least something with a heartbeat) is still inside the vehicle. It’s like having my own personal Department of Pre-Crime lurking inside my car, and it’s especially appreciated in creepy parking garages.

Since we’re talking about Volvo, the company that invented the three-point safety belt, performed the world’s first crash test of a rearward-facing child seat (in 1964) and developed the first official computer model of a pregnant crash-test dummy, I’m surprised this heartbeat sensor technology wasn’t taken one step further. According to www.KidsandCars.org, 23 percent of non-traffic related child fatalities this year were due to children being left in vehicles and overheating. This heartbeat sensor could be modified to alert drivers if they’ve left a child in the car, possibly preventing these types of tragic deaths. Volvo has informed me that this modification is in the plan book for the near future.

Driving the new S80 is stealth, smooth, super quiet, clean and uncluttered. Part of the Scandinavian Luxury that the S80 represents is a simplistic, functional approach. Put in what I need and leave out what I don’t. Despite its amazing safety innovations, it is so refreshing to get into a car that doesn’t assault me with over-the-top and pointless technology. My focus is on the road, rather than fiddling with a complicated computer system simply to change the radio station.

Another aspect of Scandinavian Luxury is the use of authentic materials within the car: Real wood trim, rather than laminate, and minimally dyed and treated leather. Low levels of formaldehyde, irritants and odors make the S80 the world’s first car to be recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. This is great news for the large percentage of the world’s population with sensitivity and contact allergies to irritants such as nickel, which is found in most other cars.

One largely overlooked aspect of the ’07 S80 is its Latch connectors. The S80’s Latch connectors are just as difficult to get to as the rest of their product line. I’ve been comparing stories with other parents who opt to use their Volvo’s seat belt to attach child-safety seats because it’s simply too hard to use the Latch connectors. Volvo should look at Mercedes-Benz or BMW to see how it can be done more effectively so a larger percentage of their consumers will use the Latch the way it’s intended.

The 2007 Volvo S80 may sound like something from the latest sci-fi movie: Something built to prevent accidents before they happen (wish I could have that technology at home), enhance the world’s air quality and improve the health and well being of both myself and my two young children. I assure you, however, it’s real. You can run, but you cannot hide, mortal beings.

*For more information on the Volvo S80 and its safety features, visit www.cars.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

LATCH Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair – Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair – Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times