When most people think of the auto manufacturer Volvo, "safety" is normally the first word to come to mind. The company has a decades-long tradition of providing incredibly safe vehicles to the buying public and has banked on its safe image much like Toyota cherishes its "green" image in the eyes of consumers.

"No other brand dominates a category the way safety is owned by Volvo," said Consumer Reports' Jeff Bartlett. In addition, 77 percent of U.S. drivers consider Volvo to be the safest vehicle brand according to Consumer Reports.

Volvo isn't content with today's safety features which cover a wide gamut from tire pressure monitoring systems to side/head curtain airbags to anti-whiplash head restraints to blind spot monitors to active electronic stability programs. The company wants to use advanced technology to prevent the 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries attributed to automobile crashes worldwide each year.

"I think if you look into the future, we as a community will not accept that we have injuries," said Volvo's Jan Ivarsson.

Volvo is using its state-of-the-art crash testing facility to determine how its vehicles stack up in a variety of scenarios including smashing headfirst into a 850-ton barrier at 35 MPH, to smashing into a school bus to vehicle-to-vehicle side-impact crashes.

Volvo's safety team then examines the data from its crash vehicle and the test dummies to see how they can go about further improving on its safety features. Further technology that Volvo plans to add to its vehicles includes an "electronic bumper" that reads and processes information around the vehicle to alert the vehicle central "brain" -- the vehicle could then take over throttle, braking, and steering controls to reduce the likelihood of a crash.

Now imagine a whole city full of vehicles equipped with such technology -- the chances for a crash would be even more significantly reduced. Couple the advances with computer technology and sensors with the steady advancements in lightweight steel and aluminum construction for vehicle chassis' should the inevitable crash occur and we are left with an “injury proof” car.

"If you have a really long perspective, I think we will not have vehicles that will crash in the future," added Ivarsson. "You and I, in the future, we won't accept that. Why should we accept that?"

But for all of Volvo’s advancements in the area of safety, its competitors aren’t exactly standing still. Luxury car manufacturers like Lexus and Mercedes have sophisticated crash avoidance/occupant protection systems of their own. Lexus’ Pre-Collision system can adjust the throttle, brakes, and suspension to prevent a frontal collision – the system can even cinch the seatbelts to further protect the drivers in a crash. Mercedes’ PRE-SAFE system offers similar features in vehicles equipped with the feature.

Volvo, however, must stay out in front of such advances to further cement its place as the perennial leaders in vehicular safety.