Dad and mom, be trustworthy, have you ever ever struggled along with your little one’s homework? I don’t have children, however I’m fairly assured. Assured that I’ll pull out the entire remaining hair on my head in the event you give me a sheet of highschool maths. It shouldn’t be that approach, proper? We all know what it’s, we’ve studied it earlier than, and a few might need even scored As within the topic again within the day.
Buddies, it’s all about follow. Similar to in sports activities, you may’t simply present up after a few years away and curl one into the highest nook or hit a one-handed backhand winner such as you by no means left.
It’s the identical with driving. Whereas we drive on a regular basis, it’s not usually that we get right into a state of affairs that’s near the automotive’s (and our personal) limits. Many drivers haven’t even been in such conditions earlier than – we’re taking a couple of automotive’s most braking energy and the sting of traction. It has been a few years since I participated in a driving course and pushed a automotive to its limits in a protected, managed setting, so again to highschool it was.
Final month, Volvo Automobile Malaysia (VCM) hosted its first-ever Security Driving Expertise to cap its ‘For Life’ marketing campaign at KL’s Sungai Besi airfield. The marketing campaign highlights the a long time of security improvements by the Swedish carmaker, which have in all probability saved thousands and thousands of lives.
Notable firsts embody the three-point security belt (1959), the rearward-facing little one seat (1972), booster cushion for teenagers (1978), side-impact airbags (1994), facet curtain airbags (1998), blind spot data system (BLIS, 2003) and pedestrian detection with full auto-brake (2010), amongst different security options that at the moment are ubiquitous in automobiles.
Nearly as intelligent is the long-lasting Volvo For Life tagline – I can’t consider many situations the place simply two phrases in a slogan can say a lot a couple of model.
“The Volvo Security Driving Expertise completely sums up the ethos of our ‘For Life’ marketing campaign – If you really feel protected, you may actually be free,” mentioned Patricia Yaw, head of promoting and PR at VCM. “We need to empower Volvo drivers with the correct mindset and data for security on the highway, studying life-saving abilities with confidence within the newest Volvo automobiles geared up with cutting-edge superior driver help techniques and security improvements performing as an extra security web,” she added.
The 2-day occasion noticed 240 (only a coincidence, I’m certain) members consisting of Volvo prospects, fans and the media studying important defensive driving abilities, and placing the teachings into follow. Kudos to VCM for being so beneficiant – 102 of the members had been non-Volvo house owners, and so they solely needed to pay RM100 for the expertise.
The day began off early with an IKEA breakfast (a novel pairing of two iconic Swedish manufacturers) earlier than a briefing on the fundamentals. Seating appropriately is the muse of driving effectively – whether or not from a efficiency or security standpoint – but, most individuals don’t do that appropriately. An excessive amount of recline and limbs absolutely stretched out is the commonest mistake.
If you happen to’re not seated proper (elbows and knees bent, arms on the wheel’s 3 and 9 place) you’ll have restricted steering vary and gained’t have the ability to step arduous sufficient in emergency braking, setting your self up for failure for ALL the workouts, which simulate precise crucial conditions.
The security driving module then proceeded to introduce members to ABS braking and emergency lane change within the XC40 and C40 Recharge Pure Electrical EVs. Nearly everybody has heard of ABS and stability management, and we wish these security options in our automobiles, however not everybody is aware of how ABS works, what occurs when it really works, and the way we must always react at the side of it.
The train had us stand on the brakes (actually, else anti-lock gained’t interact) from 60 km/h to a full cease, to familiarise members with the security characteristic, earlier than upping the sport to contain avoiding an impediment. In actual life, this could possibly be a canine or a toddler, so understanding what to do is significant.
From arduous braking to no braking for the subsequent train – emergency lane change. As soon as once more, we accelerated to round 60 km/h (feels quicker than you suppose in a slim lane of cones) earlier than swerving into one other lane with out touching the brakes, and straightening after that. The instructors gave the left or proper command on the final second within the remaining run, testing our reflexes.
Not each real-life emergency state of affairs permits us the time and house to brake, and this train confirmed us how we must always react, and the way the automotive will react, in cut up second eventualities.
With the basics lined, the programme shifted to the runway for the ‘experiential’ module, the place we bought to check out chosen driver help options which are related in day by day driving, comparable to Pilot Help (adaptive cruise management with steering, cease and go) and cross visitors alert with auto brake. These options are your mates, get to know your mates.
We’re on an airstrip, the perfect place for a prime velocity check, however this can be a security occasion, I sighed. To my shock, we got prime velocity runs on the 1.8 km-runway, the place I managed to hit the XC60 PHEV‘s 180 km/h velocity cap.
If you happen to don’t already know, all new Volvo automobiles since 2020 are restricted to 180 km/h ‘to ship sturdy sign in regards to the risks of rushing’. That’s nonetheless greater than sufficient velocity on faucet, and plenty of would have left the occasion with an indelible reminiscence of hitting prime velocity on a metropolis airstrip, with the KL skyline in full view and the double-deck SPE freeway alongside.
However the perfect was but to come back, for me not less than. The occasion ended with a timed slalom course that wanted greater than aggressive juices. This was the time for members to place into follow all that they’ve discovered about automotive management on the restrict, and piece all of them collectively right into a easy lap.
The important thing phrase is easy – it’s not simple to realize the fragile stability between getting into arduous (you’ll run extensive and/or ESC will lower energy, dropping you valuable seconds) and being too cautious (five-second penalty for hitting a cone may weigh closely for some, however too protected = too sluggish), however that’s what separates the great from the remaining, and the perfect from the great. You’ve bought to push the automotive to the sting, however not let it fall off the imaginary cliff – it’s a high quality line.
A line that this participant managed to stroll on somewhat effectively, solely to journey and fall on the remaining hurdle, which is to cease the automotive absolutely inside a field after full energy on the ultimate straight. I overshot, and the following five-second penalty turned a rating that was title contender into mid-table. By no means thoughts the prize, it was nice enjoyable.
However greater than enjoyable, the Volvo Security Driving Expertise was a well timed refresher course for this driver, one which reactivated the muscle reminiscence of easy methods to react in crucial conditions, at the side of a automotive’s security options. I’m fairly sure that lots of my fellow members had been new to such eventualities, and what they discovered and skilled that day at Sungai Besi air base would persist with them. For Life.
GALLERY: Volvo Security Driving Expertise
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