Researchers Say Self-Driving Car Accident Rate is Low but Who to Blame When Driverless Car Crashes? [OPINION]
BySelf-driving car is one of the technology breakthroughs that Google has been working on. Even Alphabet Inc. chairman, Eric Schmidt, listed self-driving car as the future of technology. Apparently, the future of the vehicle is still uncertain in term of crash liability.
Self-driving Car accident rate is low, scientists say
Scientists at Georgia Tech analyze driverless vehicles performance. Using algorithms and sensors, cars at 90 miles per hour speed are capable to adapt to extreme driving conditions, Georgia Tech reported. Researchers built auto-rally cars equipped with front-facing camera, sensors on the wheels, and programmed complex system that enables the cars to 'withstand violent rollover' due to the increased vehicular stability. Statistic report on self-driving car shows a less accident rate and with many of them on the road in the future, it should also mean a much lower percentage of car crashes.
As the advanced technology makes it possible for driverless car to be fully in control on the road with less accident rate; people question on the crash liability in case one does happen.
Many experts wonder the future of legal actions when it comes to car crash. Which one will be sued when a driverless car crashes or causes damage to a property? Attorney Big Al of the 1-800-HURT-123 that settles thousands of cases on car accident shared his thought on the crash liability. So far, it is an ambiguous legal but it is likely to put the blame to the car owner. However, given the self-driving car relies heavily on the software - the automobile maker could also be responsible for the crash. As the driverless car is actually the driver of your car, it means that it will have greater responsibility in case accident happens.
In a few decades ahead, people are going to see many self-driving cars on the road and probably some changes in car insurance policies, too?
What do you think?