Volvo Rolls Out ‘Hazard Light Alert’ And ‘Slippery Road Alert’ Connected Tech In U.S.

Volvo is bringing its connected safety functions to the U.S. in a bid to improve safety, as Hazard Light Alert and Slippery Road Alert will allow all MY2021 Volvos to communicate with each other via a cloud-based network.

Volvo drivers will thus be alerted when another vehicle’s hazard lights are turned on, or when low grip conditions are detected – these two functions were first introduced in 2016 on 90 Series models in Sweden and Norway.

U.S. Volvo car owners will get them as standard, and will be able to activate the features via the vehicle’s infotainment system, as well as deactivate them at any time should they choose to.

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“Sharing real-time safety data between cars can help avoid accidents,” said Volvo Safety chief, Malin Ekholm. “Volvo owners directly contribute to making roads safer for other drivers that enable the feature, while they also benefit from early warnings to potentially dangerous conditions ahead.”

The data itself will be shared anonymously thanks to Volvo’s partnership with Waycare. The tech firm uses AI to synthesize the data and provide operational insights and decision support to local U.S. transportation agencies. Waycare can also share synthesized data using the Waze navigation app in areas where the feature is enabled.

The Swedish carmaker has already done the research and has concluded that adjusting your speed to actual traffic situations can radically reduce the risk for accidents. Receiving an alert about a potential safety risk in real time should be truly beneficial.

“Enhancing safety for all is at the core of the Volvo brand. By enabling our cars to share potential road hazards with each other and with the public, we believe we can help make roads safer,” added Volvo Car USA president and CEO, Anders Gustafsson.