Volvo will soon start integrating European vehicles with safety technology that alerts drivers of accidents ahead, a recent press release says.

Accident Ahead Alert will use real-time data from traffic management centers to inform drivers about crashes.

“You’re driving down a winding country road,” the release says. “It’s impossible to see beyond the road in front of you. Suddenly, your Volvo car alerts you: there’s been an accident ahead. As you calmly decelerate and come around the next curve, you see a crashed car in your lane. Thanks to the warning, you were prepared and could react proactively.”

The technology will first be released in Denmark on all 90, 60 and 40 series car models from 2016 and newer. It will then be extended to other European locations.

It uses Volvo Car’s cloud, which was introduced in 2016. The technology already speaks with other cars using the technology to alert drivers about slippery road conditions and other hazards.

“We’re happy that Volvo Cars as the first car maker has started using our new real-time traffic event data feed,” said Stine Bendsen, head of the Danish Traffic Management Centre at the Danish Road Directorate, in the press release. “A quick alert about an accident ahead gives the driver more time to slow down and increase the distance to the car in front. This helps to lower the risk of follow-up collisions and protect the people working to clear the road.”

Volvo states it is committed to sharing safety data and calls on others to do the same.

“To make roads safer for all, we call for more road authorities to share anonymous traffic accident data and encourage other car makers to join us in offering similar technologies,” the release says.

In December, Volvo announced its new fully electric X90 models would be equipped with standardized driver monitoring software. It combines a dual driver understanding system (DUS) with capacitive sensing to ensure hands `are on the steering wheel.

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Photo shows accident ahead alert in driver dashboard of Volvo EX40. Photo courtesy of Volvo.