Volvo Safety Feature Seeks to Eliminate Deaths and Injuries on the Road

Little Rock, AR (Law Firm Newswire) December 24, 2014 – What would the world be like if smart cars could make accidents obsolete? Volvo may have developed technology to help.

“With the increasing number of vehicles on the roads in the United States, from motorcycles to 18-wheelers and everything else in between, car manufacturers have been looking to technology to create a vehicle that could prevent accidents,” said Arkansas car accident attorney, Michael Smith. “Volvo may have the answer.”

According to Volvo, its newest safety feature, created during their Non-Hit Car and Truck Project, acts as a virtual co-driver by utilizing 360 degrees of coverage from sensors embedded every 25 microseconds, effectively blanketing the vehicle. The tech is tucked into a centralized Sensor Fusion framework that acts as a conduit for incoming data from GPS, radar, cameras, LIDAR (airborne images) and any other sensors involved. Each sensor shares its information with the others, ultimately providing collision protection.

Although still being tweaked, the company suggests its trucks and cars may have the system in place in just six years. Apparently, it can hone in on threats the driver may not be able to see up to five seconds ahead of any potential accident. It may also assist with auto-steering and braking.

The Volvo technology is primarily aimed at accident prevention, but project manager Anders Almevad stated that the company wants to go even further, developing vehicles capable of adapting to every driver’s behavior.

“This is a worthwhile project from the point of view of lives saved,” Smith added. “But even though technology is a wonderful thing, what happens if something goes awry in these cars? We’re all familiar with the GM ignition fiasco and Toyota’s stuck accelerator problems.”

Saving lives and preventing accidents is a laudable goal. However, legal minds will need to address the question of what would happen should one of the sensors fail, overload, or short out. If sensors failed and an accident occurred, a vehicle manufacturer may be sued for selling a defective product, for breach of the implied warranty of safety from accidents, for wrongful death or for negligence.

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