First Driverless Car Accident Death

ABUQUERQUE, New Mexico. While driverless cars are not currently legal, some vehicles have autopilot modes. Now, officials are reporting the first deadly driverless vehicle accident. The passenger was in a Tesla vehicle set to autopilot. According to Slate, the degree to which the vehicle’s autopilot is at fault is unclear, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating what happened.

According to Tesla, the autopilot mode wasn’t able to distinguish between the white side of a tractor trailer and the brightly-lit sky. Under autopilot mode, the driver should remain focused on what is taking place and should be in a position to take over the controls if an accident is going to occur. According to Tesla, the driver also didn’t notice the tractor trailer, and both the driver and the vehicle failed to engage the brakes. According to the driver of the tractor trailer, the driver had been watching a Harry Potter movie while driving. Yet, Tesla claims that this is not possible in the model and the police report showed no indication the driver was distracted. The car passed under the trailer. According to ABC News, the driver had just recently been on the record praising his autopilot system for preventing another accident.

Because full-time driverless vehicles are not currently legal, if drivers are using autopilot modes, they need to be in a position to take over if the car makes an error. In fact, the autopilot mode requires that drivers keep their hands on the wheel and the car will issue beeping warnings if the driver removes his or her hand from the wheel.  Tesla’s autopilot mode is therefore not a full driverless mode, and is  nowhere near what Google hopes to sell in the future. Autopilot is a feature that is meant merely to supplement the driver’s attention, not replace it.

How companies market their technology could have an impact on accident rates. While Tesla sells its cars with an autopilot mode, Toyota sells the technology merely as a backup override for human errors. Drivers are still expected to drive like normal. However, Google claims that drivers will become distracted if they feel that technology can do the work for them. For this reason, Google wants to eliminate people from the equation altogether, removing any confusion about the role of the human driver.

If the computer makes an error, drivers could still be held responsible for their actions. As it stands, drivers are held accountable in accidents, not computers. If you’ve been in an accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contact the Law Office of Brian K.Branch today to learn more about how to protect your rights.

It seems that the problem with the Tesla vehicle may have to do with edge detection, a concern that regulators want to address before driverless vehicles are made legal. The computer may not have properly been able to detect an edge due to brightness of the surrounding landscape and sky. The reality is that the technology is not yet sophisticated enough to work in bright light or overcast light.

Tesla’s response has been to offer condolences, but to also defend the safety of its cars. Statistically, self-driving autopilot mode is safer than a human driver, even taking into account the most recent death. As it stands, the vast majority of accidents occur due to human error. If you’ve been in a crash due to another person’s negligence or neglect, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. Visit http://www.bkblaw.net to learn more.