2011-12 Volvo S60 Earns Top Safety Pick from IIHS

 2011-12 Volvo S60 Earns Top Safety Pick from IIHS

Latest addition joins the 2011 S80, C30, XC60 and XC90

ROCKLEIGH, N.J. -- (March 25, 2011) The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 2011-12 Volvo S60 the prestigious Top Safety Pick for good performance for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection. All Top Safety Picks must also have standard electronic stability control (ESC).

The 2011-12 S60 earned top marks of "Good" in all three testing categories of roof strength, frontal offset, and side impact tests. According to IIHS, "the roof of the S60 withstood a force equal to 4.95 times the car's weight. By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. Institute research demonstrates that occupants of vehicles with strong roofs are much less likely to sustain serious injuries in rollover crashes."

As a testament to its safety, the Volvo S60 is available with Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake. This world-first technology actively helps the driver avoid accidents. Volvo's radar- and camera-based system can detect pedestrians in front of the car, warn the driver if anyone walks out into its path, and then automatically activate the S60's full braking power if the driver fails to respond in time. The system can avoid a collision at speeds up to 22 mph. At higher speeds, the focus is on reducing the car's speed as much as possible prior to the impact.

Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake is part of the S60's optional Technology Package that also includes Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Queue Assist, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake (CWAB), Distance Alert (DA), Driver Alert Control (DAC) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW).

The S60's standard safety systems include City Safety, another world-first technology that made its debut on the Volvo XC60. City Safety is a driver support system aimed at preventing or mitigating collisions with a vehicle ahead occurring at speeds of 19 mph or less. It utilizes a closing velocity sensor to help determine whether a collision is likely. Depending on the closing speed, City Safety will either pre-charge the brakes or automatically brake the S60 to help avoid a rear-end collision or lessen its impact.

The 2011-12 S60 joins the 2011 S80, C30, XC60 and XC90 as Top Safety Picks. Full details from IIHS can be found at: http://www.iihs.org/