Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, LLC | attorneys at law

When your self-driving car crashes, who gets the blame?

On Behalf of | Jun 6, 2022 | Car Accidents

There’s been a growing trend to reduce the amount of human-operated cars and increase the amount of self-driving cars. Self-driving cars make driving a luxury when getting to your next designation. 

In theory, self-driving cars would reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents by using programmed rules and learning technology. However, human error still exists and the technology that we use today can be faulty. Technology is vulnerable to hacks, malfunctions and bad programming – self-driving cars are no exception. Here’s what you should know:

What are the dangers of a self-driving vehicle?

Technology has a history of vulnerabilities that encourage hackers to take advantage of unknown flaws. If a self-driving car became vulnerable to a hacker then it might start driving haphazardly. Hackers could cause your self-driving car to suddenly swerve, stop or even change your intended destination and put you and other drivers at risk of crashes.

The technology for self-driving cars is still evolving to drive around other vehicles. Self-driving cars may use technology to share their location with other self-driving cars to reduce collisions. This technology may not function with human-operated cars and create difficulty when trying to reduce accidents.

What if you were injured behind the wheel of a self-driving car?

You may have been in a one-car accident because your self-driving car malfunctioned on the road – and that might not be your fault. Your injuries and losses may be the fault of your vehicle’s manufacturer. 

Manufacturers are required to produce defect-free products. If your vehicle was tampered with or lost control because of flawed tech, that’s a defect. You may need to know your legal options when discussing who is responsible for your injuries and other losses. 

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