Volvo says it will accept full liability for accidents involving its driverless cars, making it “one of the first” car companies to do so.
It joins Mercedes and also tech firm Google, who have made similar claims.
Volvo says it is trying to expedite regulation in the US, where “a patchwork” of rules is holding back the industry.
Uncertainty over liability for a driverless car crash is seen as one of the biggest barriers to adoption.
Why is Volvo doing this?
In a speech in Washington DC on Thursday, the president of Volvo Cars, Hakan Samuelsson, said that the US is currently “the most progressive country in the world in autonomous driving”.
However, he believes it “risks losing its leading position” because of the lack of Federal guidelines for the “testing and certification” of autonomous vehicles.
Instead, car makers face inconsistent rules from state to state, which makes it harder to roll out their technology.
Source: Who is responsible for a driverless car accident? – BBC News
