Volvo C30 Overview page 19

Life-saving innovations
Many of the safety features found in a Volvo are based on the findings from the Volvo Accident
Research Team. A few recent examples are the collapsible steering column, the energy-
absorbing frontal structure, the Side-Impact Protection System (SIPS) and the Whiplash
Protection System (WHIPS).
Virtual crash tests
Super-computers make it possible for us to recreate and analyse different crash situations six
times a day without crashing real cars. We can test new cars virtually even before they exist as
prototypes. This makes the next step, full-scale testing, very effective and enables us to focus
our resources where they are most useful.
Component testing
In addition to the hundreds of real cars we crash test every year, advanced crash simulators
help us test individual components and full interior safety systems without crashing an entire
car. Our crash sleigh, for example, can grip just the cabin and recreate the exact movement
a car makes in a collision. This is unique in the car industry and it has helped us develop front
seats with the whiplash protection system (WHIPS).