Determining Liability for Self-Driving Cars
August 2024
Determining liability for self-driving cars involved in collisions is a complex issue that involves several potential parties. The law in this area is developing as more self-driving cars take the road. However, here are some issues to consider with respect to self-driving cars and entities with potential repsonsibility.
Even with the vehicle being controlled automatically, the human driver may still be held responsible if they fail to take control when prompted, neglect to properly maintain the vehicle or choose to manually operate the vehicle and it causes a collision.
The vehicle manufacturer may be held responsible if there was a defect in the autonomous technology or hardware, if there was a failure to test the vehicle or provide necessary software updates or a malfunction of the decision making sensors.
Another potential party would be the software developers. If the cause of the collision is traced back to a software glitch or an incorrect decision of the artifical intelligence the software developer may find themselves facing liabilty.
If you have been injured in a collision with an autonomous vehicle, take the time to find experienced trial counsel. At Herrick & Hart, we have been on the side of the injued since 1951. We offer a free consultation on personal injury cases.