It is reported that roughly 1.2 million people die in traffic accidents and another 50 million are injured each year. In response, Volvo has set a date on which death in an auto accident is “obsolete.”

The date is 2020.

Volvo is well known for its focus on safety and the development of new technologies to assure safer driving. After all, it commonly does crash tests to learn how to construct cars. And it maintains a database of accidents that it can study intensely to again help it to better design its cars. It is said that Volvo crashes as many as 400 cars a year as it does its research.

So what is Volvo's plans? According to the International Herald Tribune, it is planning to use the principles of aviation to create technologies that start crash prevention hours -- instead of milliseconds -- before an event.

Volvo execs say that the car of the future will have devices that have foresight -- radar, sonar, and other sensors are expected to become a virtual "bumper" that extends out on all sides of the vehicle to gather information that will help the car avoid a crash. Volvo cars have features, for example, that automatically takes steps to minimize an injury due to a crash. These features include tightening the seatbelts in the cars and priming airbags. Another feature are ignitions that won’t start if the driver is drunk and sensors that detect if the driver is dozing or drifting off.

All this safety consciousness has built a sizeable reputation for the automaker. People seem to know how serious Volvo is about safety. A survey done in January, 2008 found that 77 percent of American consumers polled ranked Volvo as the safest car brand.

Our take? Perhaps recognizing Volvo’s success in developing safer cars, other car makers have taken the gauntlet and are also putting in more time and effort on safety.