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The future of driverless cars

On Behalf of | Mar 7, 2019 | Car Accidents |

Georgia motorists who are curious about self-driving cars may have to wait a little longer to see them on highways in any great numbers, and some experts say much more testing is needed. Google has been testing autonomous cars since 2009, and Uber began doing so in 2016.

However, Uber was first banned from testing in California after several of its cars ran red lights, and it suspended its program altogether after a pedestrian was killed in Arizona in 2018. However, several manufacturers, including GM, Ford and Toyota, as well as a company called Waymo, formerly part of Google, are developing driverless cars. In contrast to Uber’s cars, which had trouble meeting a goal of traveling 13 miles without driver intervention, Waymo says its drivers only need to take control every 5,600 miles on average.

While for ride-sharing companies, profit is a motive for developing self-driving cars, there is also an argument that they will significantly reduce motor vehicle accidents since most of them are the result of human error. However, some experts caution that this will require around 10 years or more of testing. The software used in self-driving cars is very complex. Furthermore, there may be additional federal and state regulations. For example, California requires driverless cars to meet certain minimum standards for safety and notification.

It may be years before drivers and insurance companies have to worry about determining who is at fault if an autonomous car malfunctions, but many cars on the road already have features such as automatic braking and collision warnings. Despite these safety features, drivers still make mistakes that result in serious car accidents. Getting adequate compensation can be critical for people who are not at fault and who suffer catastrophic injuries in such an accident, and having an attorney’s assistance can be advisable.

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