safe haven
Volvo XC90 could be the safest car EVER as it’s revealed there have been no UK deaths since 2004
According to police crash data and insurance claims there are no reported to casualties in the big SUV
THE Volvo XC90 has been hailed as one of Britain's safest ever cars.
The big SUV has never recorded any fatalities on UK roads since records began, according to latest figures.
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Analysis by Thatcham Research of police accident stats and insurance claims found no record of anyone ever dying in a XC90.
That includes as a driver or passenger and dates back to when records began in 2004.
At that point the first generation of the Swedish SUV had only been on sale for two years.
And since then around 54,000 models have been sold in the UK with the mark two 2015 model proving a big hit.
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It was one of the first cars to adopt safety systems that could detect hazards and warn drivers.
These have since evolved to autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems which allows cars to slam on the brakes before a crash.
Thatcham says this type of tech has the chance to save 1,100 lives in the UK over the next decade - and prevent 122,000 casualties.
The XC90 news puts Volvo on track to help its "Vision 2020" claim that nobody will ever be killed or seriously injured in one of its cars by 2020.
Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham, told : “Often when a vehicle is new, you don’t see fatalities, as it takes time for models to build up sales numbers.
"But we have around 14 years’ history of the XC90, and that stands out.
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";The old XC90 is very good. In terms of people being killed, in 14 years, I can’t see any.
"Not only down to crash avoidance, it’s due to its excellent passive systems, like seatbelts, airbags and its fundamental structure.
"I’m sure the new XC90 is avoiding crashes, and in a few years’ time, when we analyse the data again, I’m sure it will look even better."
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