Do you consider self-driving vehicles safe?

If you’ve read any of the media coverage surrounding self-driving vehicles, you may have concerns about how safe these vehicles may be. After all, how safe can a vehicle be if there is no one driving it? Can you assume that technology is advanced enough to safely operate a motor vehicle on its own? These are only a few of the many questions people in Delaware may have regarding automated vehicles. 

Safety is a major concern for both the companies developing these vehicles and people who will be sharing the road with them. Human error is the leading cause of most motor vehicle accidents, which is why there is reason to believe that self-driving cars are actually safer than those with human drivers. How safe does a self-driving car have to be in order to be safe enough to share the road with other vehicles?

Safety standards

Right now, autonomous vehicles are still a sort of anomaly. However, the market for these cars and trucks will likely grow exponentially over the next decade, which means that you will probably be sharing the road with these vehicles sooner than later. If you wonder what that could possibly mean for your safety, it may help to consider the following facts: 

• There are no federal guidelines for determining how safe a vehicle must be before it’s roadworthy.
• While human error is the leading cause of car accidents, it’s difficult to estimate if autonomous vehicles would really do a lot to reduce accidents.
• People suggest that millions or even billions of miles on the road are necessary to truly test and improve self-driving technology. 

It is difficult to truly define the standards required for a self-driving vehicle to be safe enough for widespread use. The issue of public safety and automated vehicles is one that will likely continue to be a topic of debate and concern for years to come.

What about you?

Who is liable if a self-driving vehicle somehow causes an accident? Who is to blame when an automated car’s computer lags or fails to work properly in some way? These are complex legal issues, and unfortunately, there is no real legal precedent for these types of cases.

Regardless of who was or was not behind the wheel during a crash, victims of car accidents may have certain legal options available to them. Through a civil claim, you may be able to recoup some of the financial losses you experienced and address your non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering.