At a time where automakers are feeding their cars with supplements to give them more power and higher top speeds, there is this Swedish angel who cares about peoples safety instead of competing in the rat-race to see who builds a faster car. Volvo recently announced that it will be limiting the top speed on all of its models to 112 mph from the 2021 model year. Will this affect Volvo's sales?

This Is Just The Beginning Of The Safety Revolution

Volvo is synonymous with safety and this announcement further cements that trust. For the uninitiated, Volvo has been the brain behind many safety features used in cars today, the most notable one being the three-point seat belt that the Swedish automaker invented back in 1959. Not just this, Volvo is also exploring to work towards a technology that could limit the speeds of Volvo vehicles around schools and hospitals through a combination of speed control and geo-fencing. Volvo notes that the other two problems are intoxication and distraction. The company expects to present its plans for tackling these issues at a special safety event in Sweden on March 20th.

Customers Can Choose Polestar If They Yearn For Scandinavian Power

Speedsters tend to look at other brands if they are in the market for fast cars. So, Volvo could actually end up benefiting from this announcement. It will surely appeal to rich parents who want their teenage kids to drive sedately. With that said, the policy does not apply to the Polestar, Volvo's electric sub-brand.

Germans Sure Are Disciplinarians

This was implemented to reduce the number of fatalities on the Autobahn. However, Germany is planning to put a restriction on the Autobahn to reduce the damages to the environment. Policymakers have drafted a proposal to put a speed limit of 80 mph. But this is just in Germany, which has been the most stringent when it comes to emission norms.

It's The Need Of The Hour

Limiting the top speed of vehicles will surely appeal to some safety advocates who have been constantly talking about rising traffic fatalities. A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association determined that about 6,227 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2018 — a four-percent increase over 2017 and the highest mortality rate since 1990. In fact, the rise in the sales of SUVs has resulted in a higher number of pedestrian deaths. The bulky vehicles, which have large bodies and higher carriages are disastrous for the pedestrians. The high ground clearance adds to the horror as the victims are more likely to get trapped underneath a speeding SUV instead of pushed onto the hood or bounced off to the side.

What They Had To Say

Hakan Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive, Volvo Cars, said, "Volvo is a leader in safety: we always have been and we always will be. Because of our research, we know where the problem areas are when it comes to ending serious injuries and fatalities in our cars. And while a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it's worth doing if we can even save one life. We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that change their driver's behavior, to tackle things like speeding, intoxication or distraction. We don't have a firm answer to this question, but believe we should take leadership in the discussion and be a pioneer."

Our Take

This policy will surely bring Volvo closer to achieving that goal and creating a safer environment. Only time will tell whether or not this will have an adverse effect on the sales. But I, for one, think this will help Volvo in the long run as this policy sets it apart from the competitors, who try to make their cars as fast as possible. What are your thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments section below.

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Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Volvo V60.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volvo S60.