Volvo Chief: Cars Need Autopilots to Combat Distracted Driving

Cars that can drive themselves under certain conditions are becoming necessary to offset the increasing dangers of distracted driving, declares Volvo Car Corp. CEO Hakan Samuelsson.

He tells the Financial Times vehicles need "autopilots" to perform the same function that such technology provides in aircraft: avoiding human error. But he believes cars also must retain the ability to be piloted manually, just as airplanes do.

Samuelsson questions the marketability of fully automatic vehicles like those envisioned by Google Inc. that would not be equipped with operating pedals or a steering wheel. He insists there is "no reason or logic" to make vehicles automated door to door.

Volvo said last December it will begin testing a fleet of 100 self-driving-enabled cars in Gothenburg in 2017. Like several other carmakers, he predicts vehicles with the ability to drive themselves in some circumstances will reach the market by 2020.