Self-parking car accident raises concerns

Public trust in driverless cars may have taken a hit, after a demonstration vehicle struck gathered onlookers.

Journalists in the Dominican Republic were present to see how the Volvo XC60’s self-parking feature in action when the accident occurred, with two men left needing medical treatment.

The car did successfully park, but then lurched forward, failing to stop in front of the bystanders as it was supposed to.

Volvo has been quick to deny that the collision was caused by a vehicle fault, and has instead pointed the finger at the owner for failing to buy the relevant safety feature. Pedestrian detection functionality costs extra too install and uses radar and cameras to see pedestrians and stop the car automatically.

According to reports, the two injured men “were bruised but are ok”, with sources adding that the car’s driver had forgotten to activate ‘City-Safe’ mode”.

Whether ‘City-Safe’ mode was active or not is academic however, as it only stops cars from crashing into others when they are moving at 30 mph or less and cannot detect human beings.

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