Volvo has been one of the largest proponents of autonomous driving and is putting together an aggressive plan to make sure the cars they sell have this technology on board no later than 2020. Why are they being so aggressive regarding this new feature that hasn’t yet been fully tested? Their belief is autonomous driving is the future of the world and the safety of driving on the road. With this feature and a full test in real world conditions, Volvo is confident they can stand by the statement they made regarding the lineup they will offer by the turn of the decade.

The commitment Volvo has made is to ensure no one will be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo by 2020. This means either their technology is about to be far superior to everyone else’s or they have developed a lineup of min-tanks that are virtually indestructible. While the Volvo lineup has always been one of solid vehicles that are safe and can protect you, the former is the ambition more than the latter in this case. Volvo has announced it will begin a more aggressive approach to autonomous vehicle technology.

The announcement as we know it is to have semi-autonomous vehicles in the UK by 2017 and fully autonomous models by 2018. In a new program called Drive Me London, Volvo will offer these vehicles to families for their everyday use so they can actually see what these cars lack and what needs to be done to improve them. When the 2018 versions arrive there will be nearly 100 of these cars on the road for Volvo to gauge the shortcomings and work on improving the vehicles to be perfect for the use a family has for these models.

The plan is in the works for Volvo to launch similar tests in the Chinese market and in the US, but no dates have been set yet. These real world tests will give Volvo the data they need to make improvements and advancements in their technology. By having real families use these cars in the way they would starting in 2020 Volvo will have the data they need that could not be gathered by restricting these vehicles to a test track. The Drive Me London program is expected to be a huge step in the right direction to advance the autonomous driving of vehicles, but why do we want the cars we own to drive themselves?

The reasoning is simple. More auto accidents are caused by driver error than by any mechanical flaw in the vehicle. Imagine yourself driving and how many times you look at your phone, take your eyes off the road or have to maneuver to avoid an accident. These autonomous vehicles will take this need away from us and can more quickly respond to the needs of defensive driving while using the various traffic signs to follow the rules of the road. With autonomous driving human error is taken away from the equation and gives you more time to relax or catch up on some entertainment rather than dealing with gridlocked traffic.