We took a spin (safely) at the old Sungai Besi runway for Volvo's Safety Driving Experience

Volvo is a name that you would either associate with cars that resemble bricks or cars that emphasise safety. The Swedish carmaker would happily acknowledge both but it has gone over the whole brick joke a decade ago with its current line-up looking like smoothened-out ice cubes instead.

However, safety has been a philosophy that Volvo proudly proclaims. Since Volvo’s engineer Nils Bohlin invented the 3-point seatbelt in 1959, Volvo has been at the forefront of automotive safety innovation.

It standardised headrests on all of its models in 1970, introduced the rearward-facing child seat in 1972, strengthened side impacts in 1991, rolled out rollover protection in 2002, and gave the world blind-spot monitors a year later.

That emphasis on safety has been paramount to Volvo ever since it started using two words for its slogan in 1999. Though the Swedes don’t often display “For Life” in brochures and most of their marketing, those two words are at the core of Volvo Car Malaysia’s (VCM) first-ever Safety Driving Experience for customers and media at KL Base, Sungai Besi.

Also read: Volvo crashes a car a day to keep accidents at bay

Over the weekend, VCM invited customers and the media to Malaysia’s first-ever airstrip to learn essential defensive driving skills. Exercises include brake, steer and avoid, quick-reaction lane changing, and acceleration and handling through a slalom course.

But before we headed out to the old airstrip for some evasive manoeuvring, our driving instructors demonstrated the proper driving position. Tips include putting your hands at the 9’ and 3’ o clock positions, making sure your arms bend when holding the steering wheel, and one that most people seem to ignore – adjusting the headrest to prevent neck whiplash.

Also read: After reading this, you will reassess your driving position

After teaching us about driving positions, we hop onto our assigned vehicles. Volvo’s fully electric line-up comprising the Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge were used for the essential driving skills exercise.

Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid models which include the Volvo XC60, Volvo XC90, and Volvo V60 were used for the acceleration and slalom course.

We were given the C40 for the essential driving skills exercise with the first stop demonstrating quick-reaction lane changing. These safety driving courses are certainly something that everyone should give a go as they are all conducted in a safe and controlled environment.

Also read: Want to improve your driving? Start with your eyes

Imagine you’re cruising on the highway when the car in front of you brakes suddenly or something comes hurtling towards you. You would need some quick reflexes to avoid a collision, and this is where advanced driving courses like these help in those situations.

Even though modern cars have advanced safety features that alert the driver or even steer the car to avoid accidents, it’s good to learn these advanced driving techniques. After all, to paraphrase this 1990s Isuzu ad, the road is filled with imperfect drivers.

In both scenarios, we were guided by the driving instructor to drive at 30 km/h or 60 km/h through the courses. A much higher speed would demonstrate a more realistic reaction on actual roads but that would risk running over the plastic cones or in one of the courses, hitting a wall.

We drove up to 60-65 km/h and in both exercises, the C40 coped well with our sudden brakes and lane changes. Modern cars run fewer risks in rollovers and that includes some SUVs which are getting popular. Even if you have superior speed skills, it is garbage if all it ever does is cause a nuisance.

Next, we were assigned to the Volvo V60 for the handling and acceleration demonstration. Before we do a quick run across the 1.8-km long runway, Volvo demonstrated the on-board safety technology for cross-traffic alert and Pilot Assist.

Also read: Review: Volvo V60 Recharge T8 - Last of the true Volvo fast wagons, but is it better than the sedan?

Pilot Assist is Volvo-speak for its adaptive cruise control (ACC) system and on the runway, we simulated a traffic jam with the lead car. It’s a straightforward system that works in stop-start traffic and is not exactly uncommon in most modern cars.

As for the acceleration run, Volvo has capped the top speed for all its models to 180 km/h and the runway stretch certainly proves that. The V60 as well as the other Volvo cars couldn’t go any higher than the capped speed but then again, you would rarely touch anything above those speeds on our roads.

Slalom courses are designed to show off the car’s handling prowess but for the media, we were encouraged to try to set the best time with prizes to be given away. Yours truly spun the car in one of the sessions but this was merely in good fun and we’re on a safe course where the only victims were the cones and my pride.

While it was fun to see just how stable an XC90 went through the slalom course, this was more of a demonstration and an exercise on how to drive a vehicle safely. Volvo’s For Life ethos states that “When you feel safe, you can be truly free,” and I agree with that statement.

As a lifelong car enthusiast, I enjoy a bit of performance even my heart settled down for a fuel-sipping local hatchback. Even so, I much prefer it if we don’t drive like maniacs on the highways just because we think or know the machines are capable of gunning down.

I also love driving or going on road trips but sometimes, these journeys would have unpredictable consequences. At least after going through these courses, I would be able to know how to avoid incidents that would make me and my fellow users share the road safely.