Determining who is at fault for incidents caused by driverless cars may hinder the development of the technology.
Now, there’s a lot of excitement about driverless cars, but our dreams of rolling living rooms and mobile work capsules may not be here as soon as we think. Anyone who has used a computer knows that they sometimes malfunction, and a quick Google search will show that driverless cars are not immune to errors either.
To be fair, I should note that all innovation has some amount of trial and error, and I will agree with my ‘engineery’ and ‘techy’ friends that they’re incredibly good. But we still have to ask the question of who is at fault should something happen? Some like Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, thinks the liability will be transferred to both the manufacturer and the partners that help develop the software.
The manufacturer, however, already carries a substantial liability. In 2014 General Motors recalled 2.7 million vehicles due to an ignition switch malfunction that was directly linked to 124 deaths and 275 injuries.
Yet those who are in favor of self driving cars like to point out that 94% of incidents related to autonomous vehicles are caused by human error. It’s also noted, computers have proven that they can operate a vehicle more safely and efficiently than a human driver, but some aren’t confident enough in the data thus far.
With driverless cars, more people will be inclined to use the mode of transport, and therefore increasing the risk of incident, especially as they are integrated with those of us still driving. Then again, people who own self driving cars will most likely be safer ‘riding’ home from the bar.
Experts generally agree that we are 80 percent there when it comes to self driving cars, but like any engineering feat it’s the remaining 20 percent that is the most difficult. Not to mention, there’s still a lot of red tape to be cautious of. We’ve all seen that these obstacles are not deterring companies like Volvo, Uber, Google, etc but as of right now I think they are more of a publicity stunt.
What is going to happen to the insurance rates of those of us who choose to drive instead of letting our cars drive us? What will the data from these accidents mean from a legal standpoint? Are the car companies going to take on the risk or will legislation stymie the process?
It’s difficult to say, but the move to self driving cars may take a longer route than we think.
