Questions over legal liability of accidents and the changing role of car insurance for motorists in a driverless-car era have been asked since engineers first plucked the idea of autonomous vehicles from the pages of science fiction and started turning them into reality. But despite the question being posed throughout the auto industry, few have had an answer. Volvo’s pledge marks the first concrete step toward one. While the carmaker only represents a small fraction of the U.S. market this move is also a smart business decision, giving Volvo an edge over automakers who don’t offer a similar liability shield to customers.