While these driverless vehicles are piloted by intricate algorithms and cutting-edge technology, they aren't perfect. Just a week ago, CTV News reported on a person who ended up in critical condition after a self-driving shuttle bus slammed into a tree. Some issues of law and liability in cases involving self-driving vehicles will be unique, but other things are universal. One of those universal notions is that, if you are hit and injured in an accident, you need a skilled legal team to do the thorough and in-depth investigation necessary to identify everyone liable to you. This is extremely important because, the more culpable parties you can identify, the better your chances of reaping a full recovery. For example, to win an injury lawsuit, you have to identify who or what was to blame. This can be particularly complex if the accident involved a self-driving vehicle. First, was the self-driving vehicle the one that violated the rules of the road, or was the driver of a non-autonomous vehicle the one who committed the errors that precipitated the crash? Even if you've identified the self-driving vehicle as the one that erred, your work is still far from done. If the vehicle is only partially autonomous, you'll need to obtain the evidence necessary to determine who was driving at the time of the crash... the human or the vehicle. Northern California Is Now Home to More Driverless Vehicles Than Ever… So What Should I Do if I Was Hit by One? Last week, this blog touched upon vehicles with automatic emergency braking and the problems that sometimes arise with that new technology. Of course, automatic emergency braking isn't the only cutting-edge technology on the roads. There are also self-driving vehicles, which are steadily increasing in number. Just as with automatic emergency braking technology, the technology of self-driving vehicles is not 100% foolproof, meaning that accidents caused by driverless vehicles have happened. Whether you were hurt because of errors made by a self-driving vehicle or a human driver, be sure that you protect yourself by putting an experienced San Mateo auto accident lawyer on your side. San Francisco's PBS station announced it unequivocally: "You're Not Imagining It: There Are More Driverless Cars in SF Now." According to KQED, California had 900 driverless vehicles registered with the DMV in November 2020. A year later, that number was up more than 150%, at 1,400+. Nuro has launched a fleet of self-driving delivery vehicles in Mountain View. Bloomberg has reported that Apple is working on a fully self-driving vehicle. While these driverless vehicles are piloted by intricate algorithms and cutting-edge technology, they aren't perfect. Just a week ago, CTV News reported on a person who ended up in critical condition after a self-driving shuttle bus slammed into a tree. Some issues of law and liability in cases involving self-driving vehicles will be unique, but other things are universal. One of those universal notions is that, if you are hit and injured in an accident, you need a skilled legal team to do the thorough and in-depth investigation necessary to identify everyone liable to you. This is extremely important because, the more culpable parties you can identify, the better your chances of reaping a full recovery. For example, to win an injury lawsuit, you have to identify who or what was to blame. This can be particularly complex if the accident involved a self-driving vehicle. First, was the self-driving vehicle the one that violated the rules of the road, or was the driver of a non-autonomous vehicle the one who committed the errors that precipitated the crash? Even if you've identified the self-driving vehicle as the one that erred, your work is still far from done. If the vehicle is only partially autonomous, you'll need to obtain the evidence necessary to determine who was driving at the time of the crash... the human or the vehicle.
While these driverless vehicles are piloted by intricate algorithms and cutting-edge technology, they aren't perfect. Just a week ago, CTV News reported on a person who ended up in critical condition after a self-driving shuttle bus slammed into a tree. Some issues of law and liability in cases involving self-driving vehicles will be unique, but other things are universal. One of those universal notions is that, if you are hit and injured in an accident, you need a skilled legal team to do the thorough and in-depth investigation necessary to identify everyone liable to you. This is extremely important because, the more culpable parties you can identify, the better your chances of reaping a full recovery. For example, to win an injury lawsuit, you have to identify who or what was to blame. This can be particularly complex if the accident involved a self-driving vehicle. First, was the self-driving vehicle the one that violated the rules of the road, or was the driver of a non-autonomous vehicle the one who committed the errors that precipitated the crash? Even if you've identified the self-driving vehicle as the one that erred, your work is still far from done. If the vehicle is only partially autonomous, you'll need to obtain the evidence necessary to determine who was driving at the time of the crash... the human or the vehicle. 
