Swedish Manufacturer Volvo are to set to begin the most ambitious autonomous trial in the UK next year. The firm is well known for their high levels of safety but even so, Volvo are looking to go one better and has put in a commitment that no-one will be killed or seriously injured in their cars by the year 2020.
Volvo invented the three-point seatbelt back in 1959 and now it is focussing its attention on developing its autonomous driving systems. "Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety," said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. "The sooner AD cars are on the roads, the sooner lives will start being saved."
Also read: WhatCar? Conduct Autonomous Car Survey
The trial will be called 'Drive Me London' and will commence early 2017 with a limited amount of cars. The number will rise to 100 cars in 2018, making it the largest AD trial the UK would have ever seen. Take that, Google. The test will be different to other AD trials because unlike other trials, Volvo will be using real families in its AD cars.
AD cars are predicted to revolutionise UK roads, offering improvements in safety, congestion, pollution and has been to said to save time on journeys. Independent research has shown that autonomous cars can decrease accidents by up to 30% as it is believed that the majority of car accidents are down to driver error. AD cars would eliminate that problem as driver input would not be needed,
"There are multiple benefits to AD cars," said Mr Samuelsson. "That is why governments globally need to put in place the legislation and infrastructure to allow AD cars onto the streets as soon as possible. The car industry cannot do it all by itself. We need governmental help."