Self-driving vehicles have been hailed as the technology that will make Missouri roads safer for all drivers. However, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has found that these vehicles will prevent only about a third of the current number of accidents. The technology is far from perfect as the reactions of the self-driving cars may be prone to the same mistakes as drivers.
Even though driver error accounts for 90% of the accidents in the U.S., self-driving technology is not able to correct on its own the mistakes that drivers would ordinarily make. These cars are programmed with safety in mind, but that is not their sole focus. They are also designed for speed and convenience, and this keeps developers from working solely to eradicate accidents.
The IIHS looked at the crashes that were caused by the types of errors that self-driving technology is supposed to correct. This includes errors in sensing and perceiving as well as river incapacitation. These consist of only 34% of the total amount of crashes. Some of the early data suggest that self-driving cars struggle with some of the same issues as human drivers. For example, a self-driving Uber car was not able to spot and process a person on the side of the road and struck and killed a pedestrian. While these cars are safer, they are not foolproof.
Those who have been in an accident with a self-driving car and have been injured still have legal remedies that can result in the payment of financial compensation. They can sue the owner or the manufacturer of the vehicle. They should contact a car accidents attorney to learn more about their legal rights and how they can start the process of filing a claim for compensation. Self-driving does not mean that nobody is liable for injuries.
