Are Autonomous Cars Really Safer Than Traditional Vehicles?
Autonomous vehicles appear to be the wave of the future. We’re told they will make the roads safer for everyone, eventually cutting down on or even eliminating car accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Car manufacturers and technology companies are racing each other to be the first to market and get the biggest bite of what might be the most profitable product of the next decade. But will the driverless car fulfill all its promises?
The State of California recently released their Autonomous Vehicle Disengagement Reports for 2017. These reports, one for each manufacturer, document each time a human driver has to take over driving duties for an autonomous test vehicle on the state’s roads and highways. State law requires manufacturers to file a report every time a human has to take control of a vehicle due to failure of the autonomous technology or when safe operation of the vehicle requires it. However, keep in mind that “disengagement” doesn’t necessarily mean a car accident.
Manufacturer Waymo had the least amount of disengagements, with .178 per thousand miles. Coming in second was GM’s Cruise division, with .79 per thousand miles. However, as pointed out by Bloomberg, companies apparently have some leeway in deciding what constitutes a disengagement. In at least two incidents in 2017, GM Cruise autonomous vehicles encountered other vehicles blocking their lane, and they simply stopped and sat motionless until their human driver steered them around it. It’s assumed GM didn’t report these instances as disengagement because the vehicle was still trying to decide what to do next when its driver took the wheel. However, how long would the Cruise have sat there until it was actually considered an autonomous technology failure or worse, another vehicle crashed into it?
This brings up the issue of whether or not the current safety statistics of autonomous cars are really accurate. So far, the only stats collected are from cars testing in states with temperate conditions on relatively flat, straight roads. There are few unexpected traffic conditions or tricky emergency maneuvers necessary. It’s impossible to program a car to account for every single traffic possibility, especially for uncertain situations. Autonomous vehicles also don’t have foresight and can’t think forward to potential dangers down the road—for example, seeing someone driving erratically and adjusting their own driving to avoid the reckless motorist later on.
Of course, an autonomous vehicle will never drive drunk, it will never have road rage, and it will never fall asleep, so driverless vehicles do have big safety benefits. However, it’s important to ensure that safety statistics are presented in a true and comparable manner to traditional vehicles.
The lawyers of Bailey & Greer, PLLC have assisted countless individuals obtain compensation for their car accident-related injuries. We proudly serve the residents of Memphis, Jackson, and West Tennessee. Call us today at 901-680-9777 or complete our contact form to schedule a consultation with our experienced team.
As founder of Bailey & Greer, R. Sadler Bailey has battled his fair share of insurance giants and wrongdoers and has achieved numerous multimillion-dollar results for the victims of catastrophic injuries and their families. What’s more, he has been involved in more than 40 appellate court decisions affecting Tennessee personal injury law, including many landmark appearances before the Tennessee Supreme Court.
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