Automotive safety system maker Autoliv has joined the Drive Me project under which the company will work with Volvo to accelerate the autonomous driving (AD) initiative.
Drive Me project was established in 2013, and it is a joint initiative between Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, Lindholmen Science Park and the City of Gothenburg.
Under the project, a fleet of 100 self-driving Volvo cars will be used by families and commuters on public roads in everyday driving conditions around the Swedish city of Gothenburg in 2017.
The project is unique because no other company has taken up such an initiative where self-driving cars have been made available to members of the public for their daily use.
Autoliv has an established R&D and engineering expertise in automotive safety, which can be beneficial for the development of innovative active safety and autonomous driving technologies.
Both the companies will work together to share research and development of active safety technology.
The primary focus of the project is to find out how autonomous vehicles bring societal and economic benefits by improving traffic efficiency and road safety.
It will also involve figuring out the Infrastructure requirements for autonomous driving, traffic situations and how surrounding drivers interact smoothly with a self-driving car.
According to Volvo, one of the most important aspects of autonomous driving is the fewer traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities.
According to an independent statistics, nearly 90% of all accidents are believed to be caused by human error, and self-driving cars will be equipped with technologies like Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Safety Lane Keeping Aid that will detect and respond to situations causing accidents.
Autoliv CEO Jan Carlson said: "The Drive Me project is a great chance for us to join forces with key stakeholders in Sweden to strengthen our work within autonomous driving.
"The automotive fleet of tomorrow will be characterized by integrated active and passive safety systems which have to operate with complete safety and in harmony.
"This is the key knowledge with which Autoliv will contribute within this essential project."
