It appears that residents of Charlotte will soon be able to hail a driverless car to pick them up from their smartphones. These cutting-edge, self-driving vehicles promise improved safety, environmental benefits and increased mobility. However, widespread adoption of self-driving cars has been slow, and there may be a number of reasons for this.
Concerns around the safety of driverless cars
While Charlotte has yet to open its roads to autonomous ridesharing cars, many other states already have robotaxis in operation. Self-driving cars do not behave like humans, freeing them from making dangerous mistakes, such as driving while distracted, drunk or sleepy.
Autonomous vehicles use a combination of technologies to maneuver around obstacles, navigate streets, drive to their destination and follow traffic laws. Yet, people are still hesitant to ride a driverless car. The lack of control, the risk of hijacking, and privacy concerns are some common worries.
In addition, there have been many reports of self-driving cars crashing into trucks or hitting pedestrians. Sometimes even resulting in fatalities. These incidents demonstrate that autonomous vehicles still have a long way to go, especially as a rideshare service.
What happens if a driverless rideshare car causes an accident?
At the moment, even self-driving cars need a human driver to keep an eye on the things they cannot. If it causes an accident, the victim may be worried about who to hold liable. Because these vehicles and technologies are still relatively new, determining responsibility can be challenging.
It is possible that the driverless vehicle’s operator, manufacturer, maintenance provider or all parties involved will be held liable. Because of the unique nature of these types of incidents, victims may seek clarification and support from an experienced attorney.