Volvo cuts its top speed to 112mph
VOLVO will limit the top speed of all its cars to 112mph from next year – declaring they are not built for ‘boy racers’.
Drivers will be prevented from hitting the speeds of up to 155mph that many Volvo cars can reach in a bid to reduce deaths and injuries on the road.
An electronic speed limiter will be built into the engine’s software so that the cars will refuse to go faster than 112mph, no matter how hard the driver pushes down on the accelerator pedal.
The Swedish brand is thought to be the first car maker in the world to introduce a speed cap across its entire range.
Restrictions will apply to all cars made from the middle of next year, but police vehicles will be exempt.
The firm’s chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said: ‘Volvo is not a car for those who are boy racers. Our value is for people who want to protect what’s important further.
‘While a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it’s worth doing if we can even save one life. ‘Speed kills, and there is no reason to go beyond 112mph.’ The firm said at such high speeds cars’ safety features are no longer sufficient to avoid severe injuries or deaths in the event of an accident.
Around a quarter of road deaths in the UK and the US in 2017 were caused by speeding.
Joshua Harris, of Brake, the road safety charity, said: ‘A speeding car is a lethal weapon and we urge manufacturers to design their vehicles in a way that ensures people on our roads are kept safe.’