When it comes to cars, Volvo has built a longstanding reputation for top-notch safety.
That would explain why the automaker's CEO and president, Håkan Samuelsson, will announce Volvo will accept full liability if one of its upcoming autonomous cars ever get into an accident.
According to Volvo, he is set to make the announcement during a seminar on self-driving cars, organized by the automaker and the Embassy of Sweden, on Thursday in Washington D.C. That would make Volvo one of the first carmakers worldwide to make such a vow.
However, there's more behind Volvo's confident promise. Part of the reason the automaker will be making that claim could be to speed up regulations for autonomous vehicles, something that Samuelsson will urge the United States to do.
In part, it's making the trip to D.C. is to empower the United States as the most progressive country in the world in terms of autonomous driving, but also to urge it to create uniform regulations, so the technology flourishes instead of eroding in legislative clutter from state to state.
"The U.S. risks losing its leading position due to the lack of Federal guidelines for the testing and certification of autonomous vehicles," Samuelsson will say Thursday, according to a Volvo press release. "Europe has suffered to some extent by having a patchwork of rules and regulations. It would be a shame if the U.S. took a similar path to Europe in this crucial area."
"The absence of one set of rules means carmakers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 U.S. states," he will add. "If we are to ensure a smooth transition to autonomous mobility then together we must create the necessary framework that will support this."
Part of Samuelsson's presentation Thursday will also reportedly discuss what Volvo's doing to prevent possible hacking of their cars. Maybe American carmakers can follow suit with those tips as well.
Volvo doesn't boast world-leading safety for nothing.
