At speeds under 50km/h the system automatically follows the car in front – accelerating and stopping at a prescribed distance – thus preventing the all-too-common slow-speed rear-enders which clog major arterials virtually every peak hour.
In fact, on average, drivers in North America spend more than 100 hours per year stuck in slow-moving traffic – that’s more than two weeks, the equivalent of the average annual holiday. And drivers in major cities – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia spend even longer crawling to and from work.
The traffic jam system is an evolution of Volvo’s Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Aid systems introduced this year in the all-new Volvo V40.
You simply push a button and the engine, brakes and steering operate automatically and maintain a set gap to the vehicle you are following.
“The car follows the vehicle in front in the same lane. However it is always the driver who is in charge. He or she can take back control of the car at any time,” explained Volvo’s research chief Peter Mertens.
