One of the most infamous issues involving fully self-driving cars was an accident involving a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco in October 2023. The repercussion of this led to the GM subsidiary suspending operations in six U.S. cities. In this incident, a different car hit a woman which was flung into the path of the Cruise robotaxi. The Cruise Taxi didn’t assess the situation correctly due to the unusual way the pedestrian entered its path and as a result it did not stop. The result was the victim was dragged for 20 feet. Thankfully the victim survived, but was left with major injuries.
Please comment on your personal level of comfort with driverless cars. Do you think the technology is ready for the streets of Sacramento and California?
In 2018 a self-driving car being tested in Tempe, Arizona was involved in an accident that proved fatal when a pedestrian was crossing a multi-lane road without a crosswalk. The pedestrian was stuck by an Uber-Volvo prototype. Accident investigators discovered the safety driver on board to provide visual support wasn’t watching the road.
Tesla’s driver assistance system, which is NOT a fully autonomous driving system, was involved in more than 700 crashes and 17 fatalities between 2019 and mid-2023 according to a Washington Post investigation. It’s not easy to discern if the main cause of the accident was the driver using the system when they shouldn’t have or if the system was faulty. The situations arising from these crashes can certainly be distressing as automated systems tend to make different mistakes from humans. In any specific accident it is reasonable to assume a human driver could have reacted better, for example braking after having hit someone.
The other fact is automated driving systems don’t make a lot of the mistakes humans are prone to, including those related to drowsiness, intoxication, distracted driving or speeding. Researchers have found self-driving cars tend to be better in routine situations. Researchers have also identified some maneuvers that are relatively easy for humans, like turning, remain a challenge for automated systems. Humans can also react better in totally new and unexpected situations autonomous cars may not be prepared for.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when insurance companies fail to offer full compensation. We help with serious injuries that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth, LLP. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of experience specializing in only representing injured people. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com
