Maximising usability and minimising liability - the RESPONSE project

As more complex Driver Assistance Systems (DAS) are developed by the automotive industry, ranging from simple warning systems to those that completely automate control of the car, important and complicated issues arise regarding consumer expectations, driver performance, system reliability and legal aspects (particularly product liability). Whilst the technical feasibility of such systems is already being demonstrated, and surveys suggest a high level of interest and acceptance by potential users, their deployment, in practice, is highly dependent on both human factors and legal issues. RESPONSE is an EU funded project and the first to look in an integrated way at the legal, technical and practical issues behind the implementation of these new technologies. The project involved input from various sectors, including law firms from six EU countries, many of the leading motor manufacturers and leading research institutes from a number of different countries