Australian authorities are arguably winning the war against alcohol and speed, but nodding off at the wheel is a growing concern.
It's not just Australia that faces this problem either. In any country with long, straight country roads and the occasional need to drive for extended periods, fatigue is bound to result in a higher number of road deaths.
Volvo is well aware of the problem and is tackling the issue from two directions. Firstly, just as other car companies are doing, the Swedish brand has developed a driver fatigue alert system to wake up the driver at the first sign of sleepiness. But acknowledging that the alert system may not prevent a really tired driver from letting the car meander off the road, Volvo has developed for the new XC90 SUV a series of passive safety features acting in collaboration and in sequence to mitigate harm to the vehicle's occupants in such a scenario.
Oliver Peagam, Marketing Communications Director for Volvo Australia, says that there are actually three types of risk that could lead to a single-vehicle accident: "driver distraction, fatigue, or poor weather conditions."
"Half of all traffic fatalities in the United States are road-departure accidents, while in Sweden, single-vehicle accidents involved one third of all fatal and severe injury car crashes," Peagam told Australian journalists in Spain last week for the global launch of the XC90.
"Run off road accidents are also complex situations where occupants often move around... which puts high demand on interior restraints.
"This is how we address this complex challenge: If the 'run-off-road' scenario can't be avoided, the technology detects what's about to happen, and the front seatbelts tighten – with just enough force to keep the occupants in the right position, even in very severe situations.
"The seatbelt remains firmly tightened as long as the car is in motion. And to help prevent spine injuries, a unique energy-absorbing functionality in the seat cushions against the vertical forces that can occur [during] a hard landing...
"This functionality is capable of reducing the vertical forces by up to one third."
In the final phase of the injury mitigation protocol the brake pedal breaks away and the driver's kneebag and other airbags deploy once the impact has actually taken place.
Subsequent to Peagam's explanation, Volvo's Intellisafe expert Graeme McInally advised that the XC90 recognises when such an event is occurring – even in Australia, where roadside line markings often don't exist.
"It's initially the road markings, but then rough terrain can also give an indication..." he explained.
Nevertheless, Australia's regional freeways, for instance, or some of our unique topographical features on or near country roads are sure to provide an interesting challenge for the clever new technology.