Volvo vehicles have long been appreciated by New Jersey motorists who are concerned with safety and durability. The car maker has pioneered safety equipment including the rear-facing car seat and three-point safety belt that have saved millions of lives, and the company now believes that it can all but eliminate fatalities in its cars and SUVs by the year 2020. The company says that it hopes to achieve this goal by stepping up its efforts in the area of autonomous vehicle technology and including the latest electronic accident avoidance systems in its conventional vehicles.
Volvo, along with companies like Google and Tesla, has been an advocate of self-driving cars and autonomous vehicle technology. Accident data reveals that human error is the cause of most fatal car accidents, but experts say that autonomous cars could turn driving an automobile into a lost art within a few decades.
While self-driving cars must convince a skeptical public and clear a number of regulatory hurdles before they can really start to impact road safety, accident avoidance technology currently available is already saving lives. These systems employ the vehicle’s stability and traction control features to avoid collisions when radar and sensors have detected a dangerous situation. This type of integrated safety system is particularly effective at preventing the type of high speed collision caused by fatigued or distracted driving.
Eliminating road fatalities is a laudable goal, but only the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to prevent highway deaths caused by human error. Until that day arrives, personal injury attorneys will continue to initiate legal action on behalf of road users in New Jersey who have been harmed by the negligent behavior of other drivers.