Volvo boost for self drive cars

The development of autonomous vehicles that could benefit people with low vision has gathered pace following an announcement from Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson that the company would accept full liability if any of its cars crash while in full autonomous driving mode.

Legal acceptance has been one of the main stumbling blocks autonomous vehicle technology has faced, with doubts over where blame would rest. Now that Volvo has clarified its stance on the issue, other vehicle manufacturers are expected to follow suit.

Samuelsson called for Federal guidelines for certification of autonomous vehicles in the US and not a mixture of rules like in Europe. ‘The absence of one set of rules means car makers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 US states. If we are to ensure a smooth transition to autonomous mobility then together we must create the necessary framework that will support this,’ he said.