Consumers appreciate innovation, and buyers flocking to vehicles with technological enhancements reflect their enthusiasm. Some features reflect the future of motor vehicles, and driverless cars are soon becoming a reality. Driverless cars aren’t perfect, however, and there are concerns about the models causing accidents on Maryland roads.
Driverless cars and potential dangers
Although “driverless cars” infers no human operation, not all such vehicles operate in a purely self-driving manner. Level 5 autonomous vehicles have such abilities, and these models may present terrible safety dangers. While some may believe that fully automated car software or programming won’t commit the same mistakes that a traditional vehicle’s driver would, such is not the case. These vehicles might be far more prone to causing accidents.
Human occupants might think a self-driving car can handle anything on the road, so the occupants might pay little attention to how the vehicle moves. Radar systems, artificial intelligence programming, and other components may fail, and the lulled driver might not take steps to perform a manual override.
And there might be other surprising risks associated with these vehicles. Some models might be prone to catching fire due to the design of lithium-ion batteries. A collision may lead to an explosive fire that puts lives in further jeopardy.
Liabilities and driverless cars
Persons choosing to ride around in a driverless car cannot cast fate to the proverbial wind. Any car accidents resulting from the driver’s distractions or inattention might leave the operator facing legal consequences.
Manufacturers who do not address defects and dangers may also be liable for any resulting harm. Carmakers that know a driverless model suffers present risks could be negligent when not informing the consumer public or regulators. Withholding information about problems might be an egregious form of negligence. Such actions could lead to class-action lawsuits.