Volvo isn’t exactly a brand known for their off road prowess, but in a recent string of viral videos, they did show off some of the off road crash tests that go into the design process of their XC90 SUV. Advertised with four-wheel-drive and a host of other traction control features, the XC90 is essentially a daily driver that will likely never see off road use – despite the off road tech it’s equipped with.

While not known for their off road presence, Volvo is by all means known throughout the automotive industry as one of the leaders in passenger safety and protection innovation. As the video above shows, Volvo takes safety to the next level at their Sweedish testing facility where they run the XC90 through a simulated crash test where a driver veers off the road into a run-off ditch. The force of the accident is severe and causes both the front and rear suspension to completely bottom out in a very harsh manner. The force of the rear suspension bottoming out actually causes the truck to “buck,” or flip forward as soon as the rear wheels leave the ground.

You may be wondering why they tested this type of accident. Well, aside from testing the airbag system which is designed to deploy in this situation to protect the passengers from hitting the steering wheel and dashboard, Volvo was actually testing a new seat element located between the seat frame and the seat that protects passenger’s spines in harsh accidents that force the vehicle to bottom out. If you’ve ever jumped a truck, you know that it isn’t exactly comfortable when you touch back to the ground and considering how bad this accident would hurt if real passengers were inside the truck, anything could help!

Do you think this test is a sign of what’s to come or just more useless technology in cars? Let us know in the comments below!