Why Self-Driving Cars Still Have a Long Way to Go

June 28, 2024

In theory, self-driving vehicles might be able to drastically reduce injuries and fatalities by eliminating the crash factor of human error. But the technology powering autonomous vehicles isn’t quite ready for widespread use. As the number of self-driving vehicles has increased in recent years, so has the number of self-driving car accidents.

Self-driving cars may be the vehicle of the future — but we’re not there yet. It’s good to be aware of the many risks associated with these vehicles. If you’ve been involved in a self-driving car accident, you shouldn’t wait to consult a car accident attorney with experience in the area of self-driving vehicles.

How Self-Driving Cars Work

Self-driving cars are a highly complex piece of technology. In addition to all the same components that a regular car uses to function, a self-driving car comes equipped with an abundance of additional technology that allows it to operate without a human driver.

These vehicles operate through a combination of sensors, cameras, radar, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) remote sensors. Some of the many tasks that a self-driving car must perform using these technologies are:

• Avoiding obstacles
• Building a path
• Mapping the environment
• Remaining within and changing lanes
• Detecting emergencies
• Monitoring road conditions
• Communicating with surrounding infrastructure, like traffic lights
• Monitoring speed.

A self-driving car must constantly evaluate and adjust its performance based on the information received from a variety of sources. In addition to the many responsibilities an autonomous vehicle must fulfill to effectively operate, the software at work must also be immune to cybersecurity risks. Otherwise, the vehicle may fall victim to cyberattacks or unauthorized access.

If a self-driving car caused your crash, you may be eligible for compensation through a car accident claim or defective product lawsuit. Contact Wapner Newman at (215) 569-0900 and learn how we can help you explore your options for compensation. 

Top Safety Issues With Self-Driving Cars

Every year, millions of traditional cars are recalled for potentially deadly defects — problems that thorough testing likely would have revealed. When even traditional cars are recalled by the millions each year, it should come as no surprise that this new type of vehicle often encounters problems. Car accident attorneys are seeing increasing numbers of claims that involve self-driving vehicles.

Self-driving vehicles depend on a huge number of factors to function correctly, from sensors and the vehicle computer system to the software that makes the many parts work together.

Manufacturers must ensure that autonomous cars are free of defects and that the technology powering those cars can account for the most unusual and unexpected circumstances. This is no easy feat. Manufacturers don’t release self-driving cars until they pass a variety of safety tests, but these tests are imperfect. It can be difficult to effectively test exactly how a self-driving car will respond in a given situation. Some of the most common safety issues that plague self-driving cars are:

• Defective sensors, cameras, or other essential parts
• Programming errors
• Software bugs
• Cybersecurity risks
• Insufficient driver oversight.

In addition to software bugs that may impact all models of a specific self-driving car, there’s also a high risk of part malfunction. A single defective or miscalibrated sensor on a self-driving car can easily result in a fatal crash, making it impossible at this point to accurately judge when a car is safe and when it might make a fatal mistake.

Most vehicles advertised as “self-driving” still require some level of driver oversight. Cars with driverless capabilities can be ranked at five different levels, with only level-five vehicles possessing full capacity to drive without human oversight under all conditions. As of 2024, there are no fully autonomous vehicles available to the public. Uninformed operators run the risk of assuming that a so-called “self-driving” vehicle is capable of safely operating without human oversight, but this is not the case.

Liability for Self-Driving Car Accidents

According to data from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the most recent available crash data on automated driving systems (ADS) shows that an estimated 130 “self-driving” car accidents occurred during a one-year period, ending in May 2022. In some U.S. cities, rideshare companies like Waymo and Cruise are testing level-four self-driving cars, despite the ongoing accidents associated with driverless vehicles. In February 2024, a driverless Waymo vehicle crashed into a bicyclist on a San Francisco street. Driverless technology failures like this are leading to calls for regulatory reviews in the interest of public safety.

Laws around self-driving cars continue to adapt, as does the technology that governs them. In the meantime, someone needs to be held responsible when self-driving technology results in property damage, injury, and death.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a self-driving car accident, you should consult a car accident attorney as soon as possible. If an attorney can prove that technology failure was in some way the cause of the accident, they may be able to help you recover injury compensation through an insurance claim or product liability lawsuit against the vehicle manufacturer.

Involved in a Self-Driving Car Crash? Call Our Car Accident Lawyers Today.

As an experienced team of car accident attorneys who have represented many car accident victims, Wapner Newman continues to monitor the safety issues associated with self-driving cars. We offer risk-free consultations and work on a contingency basis, which means that we do not require you to pay any fees until we have secured a recovery on your behalf. We encourage you to contact us today to request your free case consultation.

Involved in a self-driving car accident? Call Wapner Newman today at (215) 569-0900 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.