The carmaker developed the very first cushion for children in cars back in 1978 and followed this in 1990 with the development of the first integrated booster cushion.

The first integrated booster cushion was actually a redesigned centre armrest that was developed to safely elevate the seating position of the child so that the existing central three-point safety belt could be used to best effect. This removed the need for accessory child restraints for older children and also increased their comfort. It added that the clear benefit of the integrated design also means that the cushion is always available and the potential for misuse is minimized.

“The introduction of the first integrated booster cushion for improved child safety in 1990 was a huge step forward for child safety. One of the key benefits of integrated booster cushions is that it is developed as a part of the seat and the safety belt is in more direct contact with the child’s body, removing the possibility of ‘slack’ in the belt that could be associated with accessory booster cushions/seats or child seats,” said Lotta Jakobsson, senior technical leader at Volvo Cars Safety Centre.

Volvo Cars followed up on this with another world first in 2007 when they added the integrated two-stage booster cushion, enabling adjustment between two settings for the safest and most comfortable seating position for children of varying height.

“At Volvo Cars we believe that carmakers should take the responsibility for developing child safety systems as a part of vehicle development to ensure the best performance. Children are our future – and we feel strongly that they should be given the best when it comes to safety, ” concluded Lotta Jakobsson.

Since 2008 Volvo Cars has communicated the vision that by 2020 no one should be seriously injured or killed while driving a new Volvo car. The longer-term goal is to design cars that will not crash.