With autonomous drones and vehicles being in the news lately, you may worry that you are now sharing the roads with them. And, while it is true that we are all slowly starting to see more fully autonomous vehicles (AVs), we are still years (maybe, decades) away from seeing them dominate our Will County roads.
Full AV accidents
In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were only about 130 full AV accidents during the period from July to May of this year, and there were no accidents or injuries reported.
This is likely because there are only a few companies working on full AVs, and they are only used in limited areas of the country.
Driver assistance technologies
While full AVs may not be a full reality yet, driver assistance technology is widely available from just about every vehicle manufacturer in the United States, not just Tesla.
This technology includes something as simple as adaptive cruise control all the way up to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Mode. In each case, the car attempts to take over driving to some extent.
Liability does not rest with the vehicle
Even if the vehicle caused the car accident, ultimate responsibility rests with the driver, unless there was some vehicle defect.
This is because all manufacturers mandate that the drivers still drive when they use their technology. This is to make sure that, if there is a malfunction or some other emergency, the driver is able to avoid an accident.
If they failed in this duty, they are liable for all the damages that result.
What if there was a defect?
With all of this new technology, it is entirely possible that a responsible driver was involved in an accident that was actually caused by their own vehicle’s malfunction.
If this is the case, then the owner themselves, as well as the other drivers and passengers impacted have a case against that vehicle’s manufacturer.