Swedish automobile maker Volvo has come up with a new pedestrian-crash-prevention system. This new pedestrian-crash-prevention system is going to be introduced on the redesigned 2011 Volvo S60.

This pedestrian-crash-prevention system is the latest development in what promises to be a new generation of safety systems that go beyond simply warning drivers of impending disasters – it actually takes control of the car to prevent them.

In 2008, 4,378 pedestrians were killed, and some 69,000 were injured, in traffic accidents in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That has provided a strong incentive for researchers to explore ideas like warning systems, external air bags and softer crumple zones that might lessen the consequences of cars striking people.

In the past, the possibility of having a car actually stop itself before hitting a person has been mostly in the realm of science fiction. But with Volvo’s new feature, it is no more a science fiction. The Volvo Pedestrian Safety System identifies pedestrians as well as bikers in front of a vehicle using a video.

The camera sits at the top edge of the windshield, in front of the rearview mirror. It scans up to 160 feet ahead with a 45-degree-wide viewing angle, enabling it to pick out as many as 64 people. Coupled with a radar unit mounted behind the grille that looks ahead as far as 650 feet and software fine-tuned over 330,000 miles of testing, the system assesses the collision probability based on the direction of the car and expected path of the pedestrians.

The software uses sophisticated algorithms to judge whether a person is likely to jump in front of the car, based on the individual’s gait and position. Also, it does not suffer some of the blind spots – like windshield pillars – a driver must contend with.

Furthermore, the reflexes of its computer will best those of an inattentive driver. Indeed, that’s the system’s main function – to avoid pedestrian accidents caused by distractions.

Volvo says the system can prevent a pedestrian collision at speeds of up to 25 km/h. Unlike Volvo’s complementary City Safety system, intended to prevent low-speed fender benders, the pedestrian avoidance system works all the time, even at highway speeds.

At the highest speed, the car attempted to stop, delivering a much gentler deceleration. This action is known among researchers as accident mitigation; the car can’t defy physics and go from 115 km/h to zero, but it will slow down to lessen the impact.

Just as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control systems have become more popular; it is likely that active safety systems similar to Volvo’s pedestrian collision avoidance will become common in the future.