WOULD SELF-DRIVING CARS BE SAFER FOR EVERYBODY?

Self-driving cars, or autonomous cars, certainly sound convenient. This is especially true when paired with ride-sharing services. The idea of being able to use an app to instantly summon a robotic car at any moment would give people a lot of flexibility and may reduce car ownership. 

The one thing that people complain about most, though, is that it makes them nervous. They don’t feel like it would be safe to let the computer drive. They want to be in control. Would autonomous cars really be safer? 

THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN DRIVER IN ROADWAY SAFETY

The big problem with driving is simply that people make mistakes. Nearly everyone thinks that they are a safe driver, but studies have found that the vast majority of accidents — think 90% or higher — are caused by human error. Clearly, people’s opinions of their own skills are wrong and the reason for the 40,000+ fatal accidents every year is that people are not actually all that good at driving. 

That’s where self-driving cars could really help. Even the most pessimistic reports indicate that as many as one out of every three accidents would be avoided if all cars were autonomous. It may be far higher. 

Clearly, the technology is not perfect, but any reduction in accidents would save lives. Self-driving cars will still crash, but a single crash is not evidence that the tech itself is unsafe. It’s very clear that human drivers are already unsafe, and they’re all over the roads constantly. 

PROTECT YOUR FUTURE IF YOU’VE BEEN IN A CAR WRECK

As of now, though, self-driving cars are certainly not taking over the market, so you face serious risks from the drivers around you. If you get injured, you need to know what legal options you have to obtain the compensation you need and deserve.