PETA Hearts Volvo. Jesus Won't
Soon, Volvos could sport yet another decal: “No animals will be harmed by this vehicle.” Volvo is working on a system that avoids roadkill. According to Bloomberg, the system
“uses a radar sensor and an infra-red camera to alert the driver to nearby critters and brake if a collision is unavoidable. That technology is due to be rolled out in a few years in cars like the XC90 sport-utility vehicle, priced at $38,400, after employees studied the movement of moose and deer in southern Sweden.”
Even David Cain, who runs the annual Roadkill Cook-off in Marlinton, West Virginia, does not see a conflict of interest:
“It’d be good because it’d allow the driver to avoid a lot of unnecessary animal killings. He could still choose to run over something that’s good for eating.”
According to Bloomberg, Volvo is not alone in its concern for our four-legged friends:
“BMW, the luxury-car leader, is also setting its sights on preventing roadkill. It showcased a system this year that shines a spot light on pedestrians or animals near the roadway at night by locating them with a heat-sensitive camera.”
Without the a propos sensitivity to this important issue, Bloomberg ends its report on the snide side:
“The winning dish at the 2011 event on Sept. 24 was Smeared Hog with Ground Hog Gravy a la Truck.”
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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A Bull Bar is the best answer but these swedish shit boxes arent strong enough to carry one
$38,400 for this feature? That's a little expensive, don't you think? In all seriousness, this is a good idea, but it will have to be calibrated for an appropriate size target.
Theres always the completely free safety feature known as "keeping an eye on the road" that comes standard with every car built. Though, there are squirrels that dare drivers, I had one stand in the middle of the road ahead of me, even as I stopped. It finally moved when I honked. In the end I don't smell roadkill, I smell green-washing.
Why on earth would they introduce it in the only vehicle they make whose hood is high enough, so drivers don't have to worry much about critters coming through the windshield? It might be a good system, but it will inevitably be more beneficial in a low car than tall one.