Volvo doesn't believe you have complete freedom to drive

We all know that Volvo is at the forefront of safety. It revolutionised the world by introducing the 3-point safety belt which in turn helps to save millions of lives.

In recognition of that, Volvo has launched the ‘A Million More’ campaign which shows real-life testimonials from car accident survivors.

The seat belt was a literal lifesaver and one that Volvo wisely decided to share with other carmakers.

However, that decision wasn’t entirely smooth sailing as the rest of the carmakers disputed the fact that this simple device can save a person’s life. Even public opinion was pretty much against the implementation of seat belt laws.

In a 1973 report by The New York Times, the public thought that implementing seat belt laws was a “terrible idea” and “a violation of human rights”. Reminds you of people who are marching against the use of face masks, isn’t it? Some things never change – the fact that there are humans who are unintelligent enough to dispute a fact.

But when it comes to the speed cap which was implemented on all Volvo cars beginning this year, it did spark a huge debate on threatening the love of cars and the speed and performance they might come with.

However, we humans can be a little bit stupid when it comes to performance-enhancers. Speed does kill, but that alone isn’t what endangers people. Just this past week, the whole nation was in shock with the news of a terrible road accident that happened in Johor Bahru which killed a navy officer.

The driver involved was intoxicated with drugs and as of writing, she was sentenced to jail for 6 years with an RM 8,000 fine. She was driving under the influence which in turn could led her to speed.

Malaysia has the third highest fatality from road traffic accidents in Asia and ASEAN behind Thailand and Vietnam, according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018 published by WHO. In 2016, there were 7,152 deaths from these accidents in Malaysia in which 87% were males and 13% females.

Volvo has invented a lot of safety features that are now common in even regular, affordable cars. Hopefully, there could be technology in the future that tackles the problem areas of intoxication and distraction in order to save a million more lives.

That being said, perhaps Volvo might have the solution in helping to make the decision on whether we can drive or not. After all, if Volvo thinks the speed cap is a “terrible” solution to slow down road traffic accident fatalities, maybe it should be the right call for the Swedish carmaker to control our freedom to drive. For (a better) life.