{"id":827,"date":"2014-01-25T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-25T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinklaw.com\/2014\/01\/25\/self-driving-cars-can-get-into-car-accidents-too\/"},"modified":"2024-05-08T00:05:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T04:05:39","slug":"self-driving-cars-can-get-into-car-accidents-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinklaw.com\/blog\/self-driving-cars-can-get-into-car-accidents-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Driving Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The future is now: driverless cars are now closer than ever to becoming a reality for the American driver. Once merely the stuff of science fiction, driverless cars will redefine what it means to \u201cdrive.\u201d Imagine: those who cannot drive themselves can enjoy greater freedom and mobility. Commuters can regain time that was once lost sitting in traffic. Countless accidents can be avoided simply by sitting back and letting your vehicle handle everything.<\/p>\n

Emerging at the forefront of the race for self-driving technology are Google, Apple, and Uber, with the latter two keeping their plans largely mum until the time is right to release their prototypes. Currently, Google is testing prototypes<\/a> in California and Texas of \u201cLevel 3\u201d vehicles, a designation requiring humans to take over automated steering with a comfortable transition time. Level 4 vehicles will be designed to be fully autonomous. So far, legislation has been passed in four U.S. states (CA, NV, MI, and FL) and Washington, D.C. concerning driverless cars.<\/p>\n

How do they work? Self-driving vehicles are designed to navigate through city streets and highways using a combination of sensors, GPS tracking, radar, and special software that allows the vehicles to react to traffic signals and signs. Unlike human drivers, cars that drive themselves eliminate factors like distraction, aggressive driving, or intoxicated driving.<\/p>\n

The legality of these vehicles, however, remains ambiguous, as questions about what constitutes a \u201cdriver\u201d and various other ethical considerations are still up in the air. For instance, who can be blamed when a self-driving car causes an accident? As Google\u2019s autonomous vehicles have already been involved in 13 \u201cminor\u201d accidents this year<\/a>, one of which involved a self-driving vehicle in manual steering mode, this question is an important one when it comes to liability. Currently, there are no testing regulations in place for autonomous vehicles, so the details behind how and why these accidents occurred are still not fully understood.<\/p>\n

South Carolinians Shape & Respond to Autonomous Vehicle Technology<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s what South Carolina has been up to on the topic of driverless cars:<\/strong><\/p>\n