Mercedes' ambitious plan is said to require highly automated and self-driving vehicles and an improved infrastructure.

Mercedes-Benz wants to put an end to accidents in its cars by 2050. That sounds ambitious, even if it's a long way to go.

Today, the German automaker announced plans to make just that happen, calling its mission "Vision Zero" and saying it aims to have no traffic deaths by the middle of the century.

The company also hopes to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in car crashes by halving the 2020 numbers by 2030.

So how will Mercedes reduce and end accidents affecting its cars? Well, the company's head of vehicle safety, Paul Dick, said in a press release that "highly automated and autonomous driving will be a critically important contributor." Of course, there are a lot more contributing factors than just the car's safety features. Recognizing this and the importance of infrastructure, Mercedes says that federal governments and global organizations as well as urban planners and local road commissions must work together. Did we mention that this plan is ambitious?

A history of safety

Mercedes-Benz is not as synonymous with safety as a brand like Volvo. However, it has pioneered advanced active and passive safety systems in its vehicles for decades. Back in the late 1990s, after the failure of the "Moose test", Mercedes began equipping every model with standard electronic stability control, which has spread across the industry.