Driverless Cars and Liability Issues
In October 2018, Pennsylvania authorized a driverless car manufacturer to begin testing vehicles on roads throughout the state. Though a more universal acceptance of self-driving cars is still some years in the future, it’s worth remembering that technology moves fast, and accidents involving these vehicles are a real possibility. If you or a loved one is injured in an accident involving a driverless car, a Philadelphia injury lawyer will be the most equipped to advise you about attendant liability issues.What Are Driverless Cars?
Driverless cars navigate roadways using artificial intelligence that senses the environment around the car through a combination of sensors, cameras and radar. Little or no human participation is involved in the process. A General Motors exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair featured an electrically powered vehicle that was guided by electromagnetic radio fields, which responded to magnetic spikes strategically scattered throughout a roadway; this was probably the first self-driving car. The first true prototype, however, was most likely one of the vehicles associated with Google's Waymo project, which debuted in 2014. These Waymo vehicles were built without steering wheels, gas pedals or brake pedals. For the most part, though, Google doesn’t build cars; instead, it provides driverless technology to existing automobile manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo. Self-driving shuttles are already a reality in airports in Detroit and Columbus, but these vehicles traverse routes that are seldom longer than a mile or two. Despite enthusiastic proclamations from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, most experts believe that it will be several decades before self-driving cars are a common sight along American highways. What’s holding back their adoption? For one thing, the technology isn’t quite ready for prime time. More importantly, though, the public perception is that driverless cars, however sophisticated, aren’t really as safe as automobiles commandeered by human drivers.Are Driverless Cars Safe?

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