Volvo to assume responsibility for its self-driving cars, requests Australian administration to set rules

Date: 2017-06-20   Author: Saipriya Iyer  Category: #technology

Volvo to assume responsibility for its self-driving cars, requests Australian administration to set rules

Volvo, a global leader in car manufacturing, recently announced that it has decided to undertake the responsibility for its self-driving car technology in Australia.

Volvo, renowned manufacturing firm headquartered in Sweden, with a major share in global automotive market, has already ventured into manufacturing autonomous cars embedded with high grade IoT technologies. The company has been receiving stiff competition from fellow players such as Google, Hyundai, and Mercedes. Volvo has also been reported to have partnered with Uber for the development of next generation autonomous technology.

Amidst the many challenges that renowned automakers have had to face, a particular one that has been in the news all along is the accurate time regarding when these automated cars would go mainstream. In addition, experts have long since questioned the reliability and safety of these cars, and the associated risks that come with them.

On these grounds, Volvo has supposedly assumed responsibility for its autonomous car driving technology in Australia. The company’s representatives initiated a meeting with the Federal Government in Australia, requesting an inquiry into the social issues that surround autonomous cars. Volvo’s officials have reportedly asked politicians specify rules and regulations regarding the blame apportion for self-driving cars, in the event that accidents or collisions take place due to these cars.

The renowned automaker has stated that it is the first car company that is ready to accept responsibility for its autonomous driving technology. Furthermore, reports state that since people are eager to know who will actually be held responsible for collisions occurring due to self-driving cars, the company plans to hold a test run regarding the responsibility for autonomous cars.

Volvo’s officials state that in their perspective, the company is responsible for the accident if and only if the car is switched to a total autonomous mode and it collides with another vehicle or is involved in an accident of some other kind. They have even summoned authorities to establish an overall, national legislation regarding the rulebook for autonomous cars, instead of enforcing different rules and regulations as per the state.

Volvo’s representatives have also declared that at their autonomous car trial held in Sweden, trial authorities had been given the liberty to do something distractive, like reading a book or typing on an iPad while the car is switched on to the autonomous mode of travel. In doing so, Volvo’s technicians were reportedly monitoring these vehicles to understand how the drivers of other vehicles reacted to these cars on the road.

However, the company’s executives have set certain things straight regarding the responsibility factor. In effect, if the owner of the car fails to maintain it properly, or does not service it regularly, the fault lies solely with the customer, and the company is not liable to claim responsibility for the same, as it is not a manufacturing defect. Secondly, if the car is not in the autonomous mode, it is solely the responsibility of the driver and not the company.

It remains to be seen if Volvo’s talks with the Australian authorities regarding the responsibility of their autonomous vehicles bear fruit or not.



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Saipriya Iyer

Saipriya Iyer currently works as a content developer for AlgosOnline. A computer engineer by profession, she ventured into the field of writing for the love of playing with words. Having had a previous experience of 3 years under her belt, she has dabbled with website...

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