Your knowledge, decisions and actions determine how safely you drive. Your car has features that, in certain situations, can compensate for mistakes and lapses in judgement. However, they do not change where the responsibility lies. They are a supplement to good driver practices, which you are responsible for as a driver.
- Driving and using driver support functions
- Knowing the car's capabilities and limitations
- Driver distraction
- Driver fatigue
- Laws and regulations
Driving and using driver support functions
You are responsible for adapting your driving to the current conditions, even when using driver support functions. This includes adapting your distance to other vehicles and speed as well as being ready to react to traffic and road hazards. The car's safety interventions and warnings rely on accurate detection and identification of surrounding traffic and road conditions. The detection systems cannot handle all driving, traffic, weather and road conditions.
Note
Driver support
Driver support functions can assist you with certain driving tasks and improve driving awareness. When used correctly, they can improve safety and convenience, but they are not a replacement for safe driving practices. Drive the car with the same attention to safety as required by a car without these functions.
Knowing the car's capabilities and limitations
Before driving, all drivers are recommended to familiarise themselves with the car and any functions and features they might use. The driver has a responsibility to ensure they have sufficient knowledge of the car to use it safely.
If you are uncertain about any of the car's functions or have questions about its intended use, consult the manual. If you can't find the information you need, contact Volvo support.
Driver distraction
Distractions reduce your attentiveness and focus when driving. As a driver, you are always responsible for assessing whether a task is safe to perform. Your assessment should take the situation as a whole into account, as well as specific conditions and circumstances that can cause distraction. It might be safe to adjust the volume when you're driving on a straight empty road, but not in more demanding situations such as when overtaking.
Warning
Avoid distractions
- Do not hold your phone while driving. Local laws often restrict or forbid phone use while driving.
- Do not manually change the navigation route while driving.
- Do not change detailed sound settings while driving.
Driver responsibility and safety features
Your car has several safety features designed to reduce the risk of an accident. They do not reduce the driver's responsibility to remain attentive, nor the need to operate the car as safely as possible.
Tip
Help from passengers
Tasks that risk distracting the driver can often be done by a passenger instead. However, certain actions are simply not available in the car when driving, such as reading this manual in the centre display. For these actions, you need to be parked.
Voice commands
Voice commands can, in some situations, be less distracting than manually doing the same task.
Driver fatigue
The driver is always responsible for being well-rested. Your car has some functions with abilities to warn you if you show signs of fatigue. It's important to always stop and take a break at the slightest feeling of fatigue, regardless of whether a function has given you a warning.
Laws and regulations
The driver is always responsible for knowing and following local laws and regulations. If you drive to a region with other traffic laws, make sure that the car is equipped as required and read up on which traffic laws differ from what you're used to.