Volvo C70 - safety, the next generation

Jean-Luc Picard would feel right at home on the command bridge, er, the driver's seat, of the new C70.

First, the Intelligent Driver Information System monitors driver functions in the car (steering, braking, accelerating, turn signals) and decides to delay non-essential information, like an incoming phone call, if it decides the driver is too busy to be distracted.

Second, the crew compartment has unique safety features designed for the C70's convertible hardtop configuration. Since impact forces can't be diverted up into the roof, a C70-specific network of beams, reinforcements, cross-members and bulkheads is integral to the design. A unique side curtain air bag deploys upward from the door, instead of downward from the roof. Volvo's Rollover Protection System is also cranked up for the newest version of the C70. The steel rollbars that pop up behind the rear seats in the event of a crash are now more quickly deployed with a pyrotechnic charge, and they have been redesigned to break right through the glass rear window if the top is up.

Even better than jettisoning the Enterprise saucer module, eh Jean-Luc?

[Thanks for tip, Brad!]