Selwyn Cooper, national corporate operations manager, Volvo Car UK

As cars become evermore advanced and the levels of technology employed in the average car continue to rise, some could argue there are too many new features that motorists, and in particular company car drivers, never get to use.

And unless they read the handbook, some drivers don’t actually know what half the technology on their car does or how it could benefit them.

One piece of technology which is making a positive impact on the global car industry is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which was launched as standard on the XC60 in 2008 and is designed to help drivers avoid low-speed crashes.

It is already showing signs of creating the same sort of impact that the three-point seat-belt did, incidentally another Volvo creation, and was pioneered in 1951.

Thatcham, the UK insurance body, now recognises Volvo’s City Safety system and similar autonomous emergency braking  devices as reducing the risk of drivers having accidents and has brought down insurance groupings as a result, which has ultimately lowered insurance costs. There is even talk of AEB being fitted to vans in the future.

For self-insured car and van fleets, reduced accident rates means reduced repair costs as well as a further commitment to helping meet a company’s duty of care commitments.

The European Commission has put some numbers to the benefits, suggesting widespread adoption of AEB could reduce accidents by up to 27%, potentially saving 8,000 lives a year and reducing insurance claims by up to £6.3 billion.

There has also been mention of making it “practically impossible” for cars to obtain the maximum NCAP five-star rating without it.

In the future AEB could become a permanent fixture on all fleet cars as companies aim to reduce insurance and repair-related costs.

More importantly, this technology will help keep both drivers and other road-users safe.