Technology Is The Key To Volvo's Death-Proof Cars

Swiss car-maker

surprised the automobile market by announcing that it plans to put fatality-free vehicles on the market by 2020. The cars will be engineered to withstand traffic accidents, but their real safety features will come in the form of connectivity and data sharing— things the company believes are vital to developing the safest possible automobiles.

There are many benefits to self-driving vehicles. They are able to reduce traffic, give consumers more free time and even help protect the environment. However, perhaps the most important benefit is safety. The cars are expected to significantly cut down on the number of traffic accidents by eliminating human error— the cause for about 90 percent of accidents.

It may sound impossible to create a car that will never be involved in a fatal accident, but Volvo

. The company has been working to create a death-proof car since 2007 and it's efforts are near to paying off. Volvo has developed an extensive data collection system that protects drivers by detecting dangerous conditions and helping them navigate through safely. For example, a car driving over a slippery surface would be able to sense the road conditions, prepare the breaking system, slow the car and even send location data to local transport authorities so they can plan maintenance.

At the moment, Volvo drivers are constantly sending information to the company's Volvo Cloud where it can be analyzed. The cars' data will be collected through 2017, providing the company with two winters worth of information and giving Volvo the ability to fine-tune its cars to make them as safe as possible over the next few years.