Volvo EX90 “Driver Understanding System” Wins TIME Best Inventions Award – CleanTechnica

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We often write about ways driver-assist technology is helping to make driving safer. One of the biggest safety issues on the road, though, is impaired drivers. I’ve known people who were killed by drunk drivers, and most of us probably have. Something other writers and readers here have noted before me is that one of the best things to do would be to pull the car over to a safe place when there are signs the driver is impaired. That’s what the Volvo EX90 does.

“The driver understanding system inside the EX90 is a pioneering new safety feature that uses real-time sensing technology to understand if a driver is impaired, tired, or distracted, so the car can step in to support if needed,” Volvo writes. “In some cases, the EX90 will alert the driver with a soft nudge, followed by more consistent notifications if that initial nudge does not have the desired effect. In case the unexpected happens, for example a driver falling asleep, the EX90 can safely stop the car and send a warning to other road users with its hazard lights.”*

TIME, which releases an annual “Best Inventions” list, has named the Volvo EX90’s driver understanding system the 2024 Best Invention in the Automotive category.

“The EX90 is designed to be the safest Volvo car we have ever made,” says Jim Rowan, our chief executive. “While all our cars are developed to meet our pioneering safety standard, we continue to push the envelope in safety with every new Volvo car. On behalf of everyone at Volvo Cars, I am very pleased to see TIME recognise us as a leader in automotive safety.”

For those unaware, we can thank Volvo for the three-point safety belt. Volvo introduced it in 1959, and then, recognizing that all humans should have the right for better protection in an accident, the company opened it up for free use by other automakers. The safety belt is estimated to have saved a million lives.

Kudos to Volvo for continuing to lead on safety.

*Note: I believe Tesla vehicles do all of these things as well. But perhaps I am missing some details. Perhaps the sensing technology in Tesla vehicles is not as elaborate or thorough. I’ll have to test them both sometime to see how they compare.