Volkswagen Group is aiming to increase road safety by using sensor and image data from customer vehicles in road traffic to continuously optimize driver assistance systems and automated driving functions.

Customers will benefit from the improvements through software updates in the vehicle.

VW said the continuously improved driving functions “enhance driving comfort and contribute positively to overall traffic safety.â€

The manufacturer said high-quality data from real traffic situations are central to this continuous optimization of powerful assistance systems.

Customers will need to give consent for their data to be shared.

The Volkswagen Group said it aims to start the initiative in Germany later this year, initially with models from the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi brands. Other Group brands plan to gradually join the initiative and prepare their product portfolios accordingly.