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Volvo’s self-parking car demo went horribly wrong

This is hardly reassuring.

 

Dylan Love

Tech

Posted on May 24, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 6:33 pm CDT

Volvo is working towards a future where every car parks itself, and in a demo of this technology in the Dominican Republic, an observer got creamed as the car accelerated directly into him from a distance.

It’s all captured on video in this 33-second clip:

This is a Volvo XC60, and Remolacha.net reports that the victims are bruised but OK. This incident took place because the operators forgot to turn on “City Safe” mode. How about just having a “Safe” mode instead, and it’s always on?

It bears mentioning that this is the second time such a car has failed publicly. In 2011, a Volvo smashed into a truck during a similar demonstration.

Volvo did not immediately return request for comment. Here’s how this demonstration was supposed to go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIa1mWr1kNs

Photo via Volvo Newsroom

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*First Published: May 24, 2015, 11:48 am CDT