The Volvo “Knowledge Saves Lives” exhibition
Safety is the biggest thing at Volvo, a core value of the company since the days two Swedes founded it. Over the decades, Volvo has pioneered numerous safety features and certainly inspired other automakers to raise the levels of occupant protection in their models.
However, while Volvo can provide its customers with vehicles that will provide superior protection during an accident, it is still the occupant in the vehicle who must take safety seriously enough. After all, even the safest car in the world won’t stop a small child from being ejected through the windscreen in a collision if the parents fail to strap the child in properly.
“Volvo Cars Corporation has always put its core value of safety as a topmost priority and has invested heavily in safety technology. Although safety technology in cars plays a vital role in preventing accidents and injuries, safe practices while travelling are just as crucial and there are still many who fail to take the latter seriously,” said How Wei Thing, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, a subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation.
The company aims to increase awareness of such safety issues by presenting, for the first time, its world-class “Knowledge Saves Lives” exhibition. The event will be held in Johor Bahru (Federal Auto Cars showroom) from May 12 – 16 2004, and in Kuala Lumpur from May 21 – 24 (Swedish Marque showroom in Sg Besi) and May 28 to June 1 (Federal Auto Cars showroom near MidValley). Admission is free at all venues.
The exhibition will have a strong focus on safety for children and pregnant women, shedding light on why children are more vulnerable in car accidents and how best to protect them. Information on how to strap them in properly and the appropriate seats for different ages will also be available.
For pregnant women, travelling in a car need not cause any risk to their unborn child – if they understand how to use the seatbelt properly. Volvo researchers have conducted studies into the effects of a seatbelt over a pregnant woman’s body and can provide useful advice on the best way to place the strap.
“Child safety has often been overlooked in this part of the world although most modern cars have highly advanced safety features for adults,” noted Ms How. “This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge and research in this area. Through this exhibition, Malaysians will find valuable insights into the subject which are drawn from 40 years of comprehensive research done by Volvo.”
Apart from the information presented, visitors will also be able to try out never-before-seen interactive simulators and experiments. The ‘Adult Child Seat’ will provide first-hand experience for adults to feel how a child would feel being seated in a childseat, while the ‘Collision Weight Scales’ can measure a person’s weight at the moment of a collision compared to the normal weight.
A free 36-page booklet entitled “Children in Cars” will also be available upon request. This is the only book of its kind produced by a carmaker and contains information on advice for parents who have children in their vehicles.
 |
