European Project Shares Traffic-Safety Data

Volvo Cars is joining other automakers, service providers and national governments in a European pilot project to share traffic-safety data generated by cars and infrastructure.

The project is run by a public-private partnership called the European Data Task Force, which includes BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ford Smart Mobility in addition to Volvo.

Volvo Cars will contribute to the project by providing real-time data from its connected safety technologies, Hazard Light Alert and Slippery Road Alert.

Participating automakers can use the data to warn drivers of potential dangers on the road ahead, while service providers can deliver the data through their live traffic services and to traffic services operated by national road authorities.

The pilot project, across borders and brands on a reciprocal basis, aims to improve traffic safety.

Volvo Cars President and CEO Håkan Samuelsson told a 2017 conference at the European Commission in Brussels that sharing data between governments and automakers is the right thing to do.

“We think this type of anonymized data sharing should be done for free, for the greater good and to the wider benefit of society,” Samuelsson said at the time. “It saves lives, time and taxpayer money.

“I call on other car makers and governments to work with us on realizing this type of data sharing as widely as possible.”

Volvo Cars’ alert systems allow its cars to communicate with each other and warn drivers of nearby slippery road conditions and hazards through a cloud-based network. Both features were introduced in 2016 and are available on all new Volvo models across Europe.

Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center, says that since last year, Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks have shared data to alert drivers of nearby hazards in Sweden and Norway.

“The more vehicles we have sharing safety data in real time, the safer our roads become,” Ekholm says in a statement. “That is why the European Data Task Force is such an important initiative. We hope to bring on board even more partners who share our commitment to safety.”

Other task force members include Netherlands, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management; Spain, Ministry of Home Affairs La Subdirección General de Gestión de la Movilidad DGT; Finland, Transport and Communications Agency Traficom; Germany, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure; and Luxembourg, Ministry of the Economy.

Service providers include Here Europe and TomTom Traffic.