If you were to ask someone which carmaker puts the safety of passengers and pedestrians above everything else, most would say Volvo Cars. The Swedes aren’t just about brimming their cars with safety-related equipment. They design vehicles in such a manner that everything revolves around protecting the living things, whether they are inside the cabin or out.

Taking another stride in the same department, the carmaker has announced that all its new cars will come with a limited top speed of 180kmph. The idea behind it rests on a simple logic – closing the gap to zero injuries and fatalities on the move. The faster you travel, the chances of surviving a crash with any injury go down. And here’s the real kicker – when Volvo Cars announced that it was going to implement this safety feature, it met with some controversies questioning the rights of carmakers to impose such limitations.

Even so, the Swedes went ahead and applied it. In the press release, Volvo Cars stated:

It has an obligation to continue its tradition of being a pioneer in the discussion around the rights and obligations of carmakers to take action that can ultimately save lives, even if this means losing potential customers.

The company has also added something called a ‘Care Key’. As the name suggests, it allows owners to set additional limitations on the vehicle’s top speed. It should come in handy when younger or inexperienced drivers are at the wheel. Both of these technologies make the safety layer a bit thicker and more robust. Volvo highlights that above certain speeds, in-car safety tech and the vehicle’s infrastructure aren’t enough to avoid injuries or even fatalities in an accident.

Volvo’s take on safety is and always has been commendable. But do you think this added limitation to avoid serious injuries will hurt the company in sales?