Self Driving Car Accidents

There has been a lot of talk about self-driving cars lately. However, before allowing autonomous vehicles on the road, regulators must figure out who would be at fault for a collision between a driver and self-driving car. Fortunately, there are several ideas being considered that could resolve this issue.

 

Drivers May Be Charged per Ride for Insurance

Instead of making monthly or semiannual payments on your car insurance, you might have to pay a different rate for each ride that you take. For example, if you are driving in an area that has higher accidents rates, you may get charged more for insurance.

 

Automakers Would Take Responsibility for Accidents

If their self-driving vehicles are at fault, automakers could take responsibility for the accidents. A few companies are already agreeing to take responsibility because they think there’s a small chance their vehicles will be at fault for a collision.

 

Would It Be Necessary to Call for Help?

In theory, a self-driving car would be capable of communicating with other nearby vehicles. The self-driving car may be able to send out a distress signal to show that an accident has happened. This way, police may arrive to the scene quickly.

 

What About Human Drivers?

If there are self-driving cars, human drivers would still have to carry auto insurance on their vehicle. However, the monthly premiums they pay may be less expensive. It is likely that states would set minimum coverage amounts to protect themselves if they cause a collision that involved a self-driving car.

 

Federal Regulators Are Taking the Lead

As of right now, local and state governments go by a patchwork of rules to figure out how autonomous vehicles can use the road. However, the federal government has been considering developing a set of regulations to alleviate the transition to self-driving vehicles. Doing this will make it simpler to answer questions about liability in accidents.

 

In the next 10 to 20 years, there will be a lot of self-driving cars on the road. With fewer cars being driven by humans, there may actually be fewer accidents in the U.S. If a collision does take place, it’s more likely to involve to vehicles controlled by computers. That’s why it is important for state and federal regulators to figure out what to do with these accidents when they happen. It may be beneficial to speak to a car accident lawyer such as the Fredericksburg VA car accident lawyer about these types of accidents.

 

Thanks to Authors at Martin Wren P.C. for their insight into Personal Injury Law.