Is this death-proof car a good thing for everybody? It's definitely good for the people riding in the car, but if you drove around in a vehicle that you knew would protect you from accidents, would you be more cautious or less cautious? That's one of the complaints we've heard about big SUVs—it's supposedly more safe for you, but completely ruptures the person you hit who's driving a small car. [Wired]

Volvo's Collision Warning System with brake support was launched recently in its S80, where a red light flashes and a buzzer sounds if you're about to run into something. It even goes a step further and applies more brake pressure if you're not stopping fast enough.

Now, the company is working on the next generation of the Collision Warning System which actually does all the braking for you. Take a look at it working in this video, where Volvo researchers set up an inflatable obstacle and the brakes stop the car just in time. Put this real-word research together with the DARPA self-driving vehicles, and soon we'll all be sitting in the back seat, putting our feet up as machines become our limo drivers. – Charlie White

Volvo previews new generation collision warning system [AutoMotoPortal, via Sagags]