Self-Driving Car Accidents

Dangers Associated With Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars are an exciting new development for a growing number of consumers. However, there are new dangers and issues associated with these vehicles that have not yet been confronted by regulators and manufacturers.

These dangers include:

• Cars cannot interpret human signals: In the event of an accident, if a police officer must direct traffic the car would be unable to follow the commands of the officer because technology is not at a point where cars can interpret human signals.
• Computers can malfunction: A malfunction of the car’s computer can place the driver in a more dangerous situation than if the owner was driving the car themselves.
• Relying on the GPS: GPS devices may not always be accurate and the map may not always have the most up to date information, which can cause the owner to end up in an area that may not have intended to go to.
• Interaction with conventional cars: When self-driving and conventional cars share the road, the risk of accidents for conventional cars can be elevated as the car’s computer may not be able to anticipate or react to the behavior of a vehicle manned by a human the way a conventional driver would.
• Autonomous cars as weapons: Terrorists or other criminals could program explosive-packed cars to become self-driving cars or hackers could try and interfere with cars’ computer systems.