Are autonomous vehicles really safe? Or should they be banned?
A self-driving vehicle in California recently caused an accident involving a bus with 15 passengers on board, prompting concerns about the safety of autonomous (driverless) cars if they become standard on our roads and highways.
The collision occurred on Feb. 14 in Mountain View, California, near the headquarters of Google, which was testing a self-driving car at the time, according to news reports about the accident.
The self-driving car, a Lexus SUV, was traveling 2 mph when the vehicle swerved to avoid hitting sand bags near a storm drain and struck the side of a municipal bus traveling 15 mph straight ahead, the Associated Press reported. After the accident, bus passengers were evacuated and transferred onto a different bus, according to Reuters news agency.
Google’s response to the driverless car accident?
The self-driving car’s test driver – who was in the driver’s seat as required under California law – and Google told authorities they thought the bus would yield to their car, according to the Associated Press. In a statement from the company, Google added, “We clearly bear some responsibility, because if our car hadn’t moved there wouldn’t have been a collision.”
Chris Urmson, who runs Google’s self-driving car project, further discussed the accident, saying in an interview with the Associated Press that he believed it was “not black and white” who caused the accident. “We saw the bus, we tracked the bus, we thought the bus was going to slow down, we started to pull out…,” Urmson said.
Google has been testing self-driving cars on city streets since 2014. Since then, such vehicles have driven more than 2 million miles and have been involved in 17 minor accidents. But in each case, such accidents in the past were due to errors made by the test driver, not the vehicle, according to Reuters.
In recent months, Google had been lobbying for permission to test such vehicles without steering wheels or other controls, Reuters reported. However, the recent accident will likely support efforts by California legislators to continue to require manufacturers to equip all autonomous vehicles with steering wheels, gas pedals and brake pedals. That way, a driver can continue to take over in an emergency situation.
Critics of Google’s self-driving vehicle program agree, saying that test models must have steering wheels and other features in case of an emergency.
An experienced attorney knows that technology is never perfect, as this recent accident illustrates. And it goes without saying that motor vehicle accidents can lead to serious injuries and fatalities. The fact that Google’s driverless car caused an accident demonstrates the need to have a licensed driver on board. The human driver then can take control of the vehicle if the technology fails.
The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein handles personal injury cases throughout the state of Maine. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact our law firm and schedule a free case evaluation.