Volvo auto brake fails during demo

[john h]

Originally Posted by Clan

The reason this happened was the battery went flat the night before the test , they charged it in the morning and started the car and there was a crash dummy in it .. the people doing the test failed to see the message in the instrument panel that said the Auto-Brake system was disabled .. predumably some fault codes due to the flat battery needed clearing ..
They have done this test 400 times at the factory , so it was human error , and if a human was driving they would have seen the message .

Actually, thinking about it more, I'm not sure the explanation - even if true - justifies the accident. Would the warning light make any difference?

My logic is this: if a particular driver actually needs the system (and would otherwise have hit the truck) he or she is incapable of:

• Driving at a safe speed
• Noticing a stationary truck ahead
• Lifting foot onto brake pedal & pressing

Therefore, it's surely unrealiastic to assume that the same driver could or would:

• Drive at a safe speed
• Notice a warning light
• Notice a stationary truck ahead
• Lift foot onto brake pedal & press

So, my thinking is, you either don't need the system - or you would hit the truck anyway.
(Unless of course, you did notice the warning light and the sight of it made you stay at home. In which case, should you have a licence?)

John