PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Birmingham Car Wreck Lawyer Warns Self-Driving Cars May Not Reduce Risks of Auto Injuries

This publication addresses the likelihood that the introduction of driverless cars may not reduce the number of automobile accidents. Specifically, the publication argues that the cause of auto accidents, not the number of crashes, may change.

2012-10-25
BIRMINGHAM, AL, October 25, 2012 (Press-News.org) California recently enacted legislation creating guidelines and regulations for self-driving cars. Proponents of automated cars hope those regulations will eventually allow motor vehicles to use wireless signals, cameras, and GPS technology to replace human drivers. Those same proponents are quick to claim that, without human drivers, autonomous automobiles eliminate human error and reduce the overall potential for car accidents.

While it is unlikely that Alabama will pass similar regulations in the near future, Birmingham car wreck attorney Whit Drake is concerned about the safety claims regarding driverless cars.

"Although self-driving cars could potentially eliminate some human error, I'm surprised that no one has discussed the risks of accidents caused by mechanical or technological error," noted the founding partner of Drake Law Firm. "As with any machine, self-driving cars present a risk of mechanical failure. As a machine becomes more automated, the chance of that machine malfunctioning increases," added Mr. Drake.

California's law requires a human driver to be behind the wheel to take over in the event that a self-driving car malfunctions. Drake warns that even with such a requirement, there is potential for "human error" if such stand-by drivers are not alert, attentive, and/or capable of recognizing a problem before an accident occurs. "We are already experiencing a national problem with distracted driving. Can we expect an individual to pay adequate attention to the road while traveling in a self-driving car?" asked Drake.

Drake warns that, despite all the excitement surrounding driverless cars, claims of "reduced risks" by smart car proponents may be premature. "Self-driving cars may simply change the origin of the risk of an automobile accident from human error to technological error without reducing the overall likeliness of a collision."

The key, yet unasked, question regarding self-driving cars is whether shifting the risk of an auto accident from humans to machines will actually lead to less accidents and safer roadways. "In reality, the true extent of a driverless car's safety benefits will not be fully understood for many years," stated Drake.

Website: http://www.drakelawal.com


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

How to Find a Perfect Teaching Job Through Recruitment Agencies

2012-10-25
The fact of the matter is that it's quite hard to find a suitable teaching job. It's actually impossible to keep track of all the vacant positions in primary teaching jobs or teaching assistant jobs in each and every school of an area. So, there must be a system that can look for these vacant positions and inform you whenever a suitable vacant teaching position for primary or secondary teaching jobs are available. Excellent recruitment agencies such as academicsltd.co.uk precisely serve that purpose for you. So, no matter if you are looking for primary school teaching jobs ...

Global Data Company Expands Services Through Partnership with Nominodata

2012-10-25
Global Data Company (GDC) has joined with Nominodata to offer high-risk watch lists in their Global Gateway service. By adding comprehensive watch list data, GDC is able to offer a more holistic solution to global markets with developed and emerging Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Terrorist Finance (CTF) legislative requirements. Global Gateway launched in 2007 as a single integration for global electronic identity verification (eIDV) to assist clients with their Customer Identification Program (CIP). GDC is now launching Global Gateway 2 with data coverage in ...

Five Star Luxury Hotel Park Hyatt Chennai Opens In India

2012-10-25
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today the opening of Park Hyatt Chennai, marking the 30th hotel in the Park Hyatt collection and the first Park Hyatt hotel to be introduced in the city of Chennai, known as the gateway to Southern India. Designed as a serene and tranquil retreat for the astute business traveller, Park Hyatt Chennai is located next to the prestigious Governor's residence and is also adjacent to the thriving green area of the Guindy National Park. A 15-minute drive from the city's domestic and international airport, Park Hyatt Chennai enjoys close proximity ...

How Space Station Can Help Humans Follow Curiosity to Mars and Beyond

How Space Station Can Help Humans Follow Curiosity to Mars and Beyond
2012-10-25
With all of the excitement of the Mars Curiosity landing, many are looking to move from robots to humans for exploration beyond Earth's orbit. Keeping in mind the Seven Minutes of Terror, just imagine the nail-biting moments of putting people into the harsh environment of space far from their home planet. Taking the guess work out of long-duration exploration, however, is one of the benefits of the International Space Station. This orbiting laboratory serves as a test bed for technology and helps researchers understand how to prepare for extended trips in space. "The ...

ZeroLag Communications Joins Magento's Hosting Partner Program as a Platinum Partner

2012-10-25
ZeroLag, (http://www.ZeroLag.com), the first name in managed hosting, is pleased to announce it has joined Magneto eCommerce's Hosting Partner Program as a Platinum Partner, the highest of the three-tier levels. The program recognizes the strategic role that managed hosting providers such as ZeroLag play in delivering on the high quality of service Magneto merchants expect from the leading eCommerce platform. Dedicated to support, performance, reliability and security: "ZeroLag is excited to be a Magento Platinum Hosting Partner and together we will provide ...

New WalMart stores put large retailers out of business, mom-and-pop stores less affected

2012-10-24
Los Angeles, CA (October 23, 2012) Ranked as one of America's largest corporations and the largest private employer in the United States, some say that WalMart stores are catalysts for economic growth in U.S. communities, while others claim that they can have damaging effects on local shops. However, a new study finds that it is the larger retailers such as Ames Department Stores, Sears, and Kmart that lose business with the arrival of a new WalMart store, while smaller retailers are not affected to the same extent. This study is published today in a new Focus Issue of ...

High-pressure science gets super-sized

2012-10-24
ARGONNE, Ill. --- The study of materials at extreme conditions took a giant leap forward with the discovery of a way to generate super high pressures without using shock waves whose accompanying heat turns solids to liquid. This discovery will allow scientists for the first time to reach static pressure levels exceeding 4 million atmospheres, a high-pressure environment where new unique compounds could be formed, materials change their chemical and physical properties, and metals become insulators. An international team of scientists using a new high-pressure anvil design ...

Parents look on the bright side of kids' worries

2012-10-24
Parents consistently overestimate their children's optimism and downplay their worries, according to new research by psychologists at the University of California, Davis, Center for Mind and Brain. The findings suggest that secondhand evaluations by parents or other adults of children's emotional well-being need to be treated with caution. Many psychologists and researchers have long held that children under the age of seven cannot accurately report how they feel, said Kristin Lagattuta, associate professor of psychology at UC Davis, who led the study. So behavioral ...

Mining social media to discover vehicle defects

2012-10-24
Can social media postings by consumers be a source of useful information about vehicle safety and performance defects for automobile manufacturers? Yes, say researchers at Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business, who conducted what is believed to be the first large-scale case study confirming the value of social media for vehicle quality management. The researchers developed a computer-based information system that provides auto manufacturers an efficient way to discover and classify vehicle defects. "A lot of useful but hidden data on vehicle quality is embedded ...

Did bacteria spark evolution of multicellular life?

Did bacteria spark evolution of multicellular life?
2012-10-24
Bacteria have a bad rap as agents of disease, but scientists are increasingly discovering their many benefits, such as maintaining a healthy gut. A new study now suggests that bacteria may also have helped kick off one of the key events in evolution: the leap from one-celled organisms to many-celled organisms, a development that eventually led to all animals, including humans. Published this month in the inaugural edition of the new online journal eLife, the study by University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Medical School scientists involves choanoflagellates ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New ‘shy’ fungus found in old-growth forest

Some nicotine pouch flavors much more addictive than others

Low doses of antibiotic work just as well as higher ones to treat rare type of chronic hair loss

Social media pressures could make friendship a full-time job

CD2AP and Alzheimer’s disease: A key regulator of neurodegeneration and potential therapeutic target

Maternal infection disrupts newborn brain development: A link to neurodevelopmental disorders

inait announces collaboration with Microsoft to deploy novel AI based on digital brains across industries

The Open Brain Institute announces the dawn of a new frontier in neuroscience

Helicobacter pylori treatment practices in the Asia-Pacific region

Nearly one in ten unsure if they have Long Covid

Scientists unlock new dimension in light manipulation, ushering a new era in photonic technology

Current antivirals likely less effective against severe infection caused by bird flu virus in cows’ milk

Lassa fever vaccine enters phase 1 clinical trial

Institute for Healthcare Improvement Honors Hebrew SeniorLife’s Orchard Cove and NewBridge on the Charles

Dialing in the temperature needed for precise nuclear timekeeping

Fewer than half of Medicaid managed care plans provide all FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder

Mount Sinai researchers specific therapy that teaches patients to tolerate stomach and body discomfort improved functional brain deficits linked to visceral disgust that can cause of food avoidance in

New ACP guideline recommends combination therapy for acute episodic migraines

Last supper of 15-million-year-old freshwater fish

Slow, silent ‘scream’ of epithelial cells detected for first time

How big brains and flexible skulls led to the evolution of modern birds

Iguanas floated one-fifth of the way around the world to colonize Fiji

‘Audible enclaves’ could enable private listening without headphones

Twisting atomically thin materials could advance quantum computers

Impaired gastric myoelectrical rhythms associated with altered autonomic functions in patients with severe ischemic stroke

American College of Cardiology issues concise clinical guidance on evaluation and management of cardiogenic shock

Psychological prehabilitation improves surgical recovery, study finds

Neighborhood dispute among cells: Whichever successfully exerts force wins

Deadline extended for the fifth edition of the SWIM Award for Science Journalism

Unique dove species is the dodo of the Caribbean and in similar danger of dying out

[Press-News.org] Birmingham Car Wreck Lawyer Warns Self-Driving Cars May Not Reduce Risks of Auto Injuries
This publication addresses the likelihood that the introduction of driverless cars may not reduce the number of automobile accidents. Specifically, the publication argues that the cause of auto accidents, not the number of crashes, may change.