Google Car Steering Toward Driverless Future?

Will consumers soon be seeing driverless cars on the market? Still to be determined are questions of liability if driverless cars were to end up in accidents.

2010-10-24

October 24, 2010 (Press-News.org) Long a staple of science fiction, the driverless car may be maneuvering into the near future, thanks to Google. The Google Car could be a technological dream come true: fuel-efficient transportation that eases congestion and eliminates accidents. Almost.

The New York Times reports that the "Google Car" is a Toyota Prius fitted with data-storing cameras and steered by software based on artificial intelligence. It has already driven more than 140,000 miles in a variety of traffic conditions without causing an accident. The Google Car is not accident-free, however; it was rear-ended at a stop light by another vehicle.

Engineers make good arguments for autonomous cars like the Google Car; the cars never get sleepy, distracted or drunk--but could driverless cars cause auto accidents?

The website www.alttransport.com raises an interesting question about these cars on autopilot. Who will be held liable when a driverless motor vehicle inevitably causes an accident, injury or death?

Who Drives a Driverless Car?

An engineer sits in the driver's seat of the driverless Google Car, ready to intervene if the vehicle veers off-course or needs adjustments. If the vehicles enter the mainstream, would someone sit in the same position, ready to take control of the vehicle at a moment's notice?

It seems unlikely that we could reasonably expect people to pay full attention in vehicles designed specifically so that drivers must not devote complete attention to safely navigating traffic.

New York Laws: Rewritten, Reinterpreted

It seems likely, on the other hand, that New York laws regulating operations of motor vehicles would have to undergo some extensive revisions if driverless cars entered the market.

The statutes currently refer almost exclusively to what drivers can and cannot do while behind the wheel. But if Google software is piloting the car, it's not out of the question that Google itself could be held liable for damages in some accident, injury and wrongful death cases.

Bill Childs, professor at the Western New England College School of Law told alttransport.com that he assumes that driverless vehicles would come with extensive, specific instructions about when it's appropriate to use the automatic, driverless mode, and when people must operate the vehicles manually, as we do with cars now.

Corporation versus Corporation

And what happens when a Toyota steered by a Google software system causes an accident, injury or death: could the auto giant sue the high-tech behemoth?

"Absolutely," said a San Francisco personal injury attorney who spoke to alttransport.com.

Driverless crashes could open carmakers to a new array of product liability lawsuits, potentially pitting vehicle manufacturers against software makers.

Courts would have to decide to what degree the corporations share liability, likely by reinterpreting law on the books or interpreting law yet to be written.

In the Present

Widespread use of driverless cars will not be reality for awhile.

Today, motorists and passengers injured in car accidents caused by distracted, drunk or reckless drivers should contact a New York personal injury attorney with a track record for successful representation of injured clients.

Article provided by The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C.
Visit us at www.perecman.com

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