Looming changes in insurance laws are susceptible to the rapid rise in autonomous vehicles and the transformation or potential eradication of personal liability under Michigan’s No-Fault Act pursuant to state laws. Today’s society is brimming with pioneering technological advancements that allay any fears of backpedaling to the era of the 20th century where the progression from the “horse” age to the “motorized” age provided hope for a futuristic America. Now, the world is preparing itself to embrace the next major evolution in traveling: the shift from driver-dependent cars to self-driving vehicles. Technology has changed the way the general public communicates, learns, lives, and most importantly, travels. Today’s vehicles are equipped …show more content…
The threshold question becomes: what kind of insurance will be required in order to cover accidents involving autonomous vehicles? One compelling argument suggests that governmental encroachment and regulation of current insurance laws at the state-level is tantamount to construct a uniform system. The impetus behind such reasoning is largely to thwart the opening of the flood gates for individuals to sue the manufacturers of the autonomous vehicles based on deleterious product liability claims. As the law currently stands, however, insurance laws are state-based, and need to be addressed at each state-level, respectively. States are still unclear on how the widespread use of such vehicles will impact their insurance laws. Michigan’s No-Fault laws will not be completely eradicated, but will be transformed in order to account for the rise in product liability concerns. As the comprehensive testing of self-driving vehicles surges, the need to insure them grows with it. No-Fault Insurance is currently mandatory in Michigan; every car owner must purchase a certain level of basic insurance coverage in order to obtain a license plate. If vehicles in Michigan become autonomous, how high would insurance rates become? Coverage under the Residual Liability facet of the Act pays your for any damages should you be found liable, up to the limits of the policy. But the individual insurance coverage policy limits
In the article, “Will Self-Driving Cars be Good for America” (March 10, 2016), Robert Peterson argues that America is ready for self-driving cars to take over the streets. The author first reports the statistics of car related accidents in America, and how much the damages have cost in all; he then presents all the benefits of autnomous cars by discussing how it will benefit people of all ages by limiting expenses, and being able to reach a destination without the need for a license; and to conclude, he then finishes his article by alerting the audience that they need to get ready for what’s about to happen to the automotive industry in America. His purpose is to inform the reader in order to convince them that autonomous cars are the only
An examination of the legal liabilities surrounding the developing technology involved in autonomous vehicles in the United States of America
According to an article by Investopedia called “How Google’s Self-Driving Car Will Change Everything,” Self-driving cars are expected to be safer because these cars won’t drive too fast, or take unnecessary risks-things people do all the time (Chase). Some other background information includes that over ninety percent of accidents are caused by driver error. There is every reason to believe that self-driving
Right now self-driving cars and trucks are hitting the road and will soon be available to the general market . Major companies like Google, Tesla, Uber and Delphi are leading in autonomous cars industry. In the past few years, these companies have made great strides improving this technology. Addressing the concerns for this technology must be concluded before it reaches the general public. Given the current state of automobiles that don’t need drivers the American consumer needs to be mindful that moral decisions this technology is handling puts them at risk due to the fact that this is emerging technology, laws are being made that will shape this technology, and who is choosing who lives and who dies.
First driverless cars are much less likely to crash. In fact “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that between 93 percent and 95 percent of car accidents are caused by human error” (par. 5, Tribune). This study displays
Are Americans ready for cars that can drive themselves?, will it be safe for “ai’s” on the road instead of normal human drivers?, and how will this be beneficial to traffic, crashes, and time? In the Newsela article, “pro/con: self-driving cars are just around the corner. Is it a good thing?”, By Tribune News Service, Self-driving cars remove many of the human mistakes that cause injuries and deaths. Self-driving cars can also help disabled and elderly people get from place to place on their own. The self-driving cars that are now being developed use many forms of technology to drive themselves. Radar, cameras and other devices are used to "see" the world around the car. Advanced computer systems drive the car from one destination to another without any help from humans. Self-driving cars offer such a wealth of advantages that it makes little difference whether Americans are ready. Americans need to get ready. Self-driving cars will soon be in their rearview mirrors.
In her article “To Hit the Road, Driverless Cars Must Be Safe, Not Perfect,” Nidhi Kalra argues that because humans are untrustworthy when it comes to safe driving, we should adapt to driverless cars. She provides three premises to support her argument. First, she presents the data of deaths and injuries that were caused by human mistakes. Second, she points out that even though driverless cars may never reach perfection, they would never make miscalculations or mistakes that human drivers make all the time, such as drunk driving, drowsy driving, or driving with distraction. Third, she argues that driverless cars offer benefits such as bettering mobility and efficiency, reducing congestion costs and land use. With these primary premises, Kalra persuades that driverless cars should hit the road one day to reduce amounts of accidents that are likely made by human drivers.
She expresses her concerns that there is a lack of consistency in these laws which will be problematic later on. She indicates that currently “fully autonomous” vehicles which are cars that need no driver are not yet obtainable for consumers. However, “partially autonomous” vehicles which are cars that give up a few features to the car, but need a human driver to be in control in case of an emergency are accessible to consumers. She notes that state laws are tackling the physical interface of autonomous vehicles while turning a shoulder on the logical interface. Mrs. Goodman argues that state laws should see the logical interface equally important as the physical interface. She explains that the logical interface is the interaction between the user, the surrounding area, and the vehicle. She indicates that the data found in the interaction can show important personal information, real-world location, and even a person’s driving routine. She explains that the sensors on autonomous vehicles are so sensitive that they can dedicate if a child is in the vehicle. Mrs. Goodman indicates that her biggest concern is that these vehicles are susceptible to hacks. She notes that states have
“Humans have since the days of Leonardo da Vinci’s supposed robotic cart dreamed of true automobiles: Self-driving cars” (Vanderbilt). Today the possibility of riding around in self-driving automobiles is more real than ever. Today there are self-driving cars being tested by multiple companies such as Google, Ford, Uber, General Motors, and more. The question everyone is asking is, are these self-driving vehicles safe? Some people argue that they are going to reduce the amount of fatal crashes in the world while others say they are more dangerous than human drivers. Self-driven vehicles promote more road safety
In the case of the DMV adhering to the Assembly Bill signed by Governor Brown, the DMV had to make drastic operational changes based on the influx of customers that was expected to apply for a license under AB 60. It was estimated that it would cost the DMV approximately $140 million to $220 million over three years to issue approximately 1.4 million new drivers licenses. Most of the funding provided by the Office of Traffic Safety would go towards obtaining new facilities to process application; hiring of new staff; training staff; and acquiring the technology needed to process the applications. The authors suggest in the above research article that there must be a strategic plan; planning provides a platform for the next mission. The authors indicate that in order to plan, there must be a vision, a goal, an objective and the forecasting of how success will be measured. This rule applies to all of the DMV’s future outcomes as notes previously; however, when it comes to self-driving cars, safety is paramount. The vision for the department is to keep abreast with innovative technology as demanded by the motoring public. The goal is safety; companies must insure the DMV through rigorous testing and the following of protocols that self-driving vehicles are safe, not only for the passenger but for others who share the road. Success is measured by the safety and
Many great technological feats have been accomplished in the past few years, one of the most notable would be the creation of self-driving cars. Along with the topic of what can be done with this technology, there is also the topic of what should be done with the technology from an ethical standpoint. Self-driving cars while not perfected are worth their innumerous benefits, despite the current limitations and drawbacks. Every year there are numerous incidents where the driver is responsible for a crash or even death. A self-driving car could be the very solution necessary to solving the abundance of accidents that occur daily across the nation. There are different levels of automation ranging on the amount of the drivers control of the vehicles. This technology is already being implemented in creative and helpful ways, and has been successfully tested.
Since the beginning of self-driving cars which first began in 1925 with the creation of the Houdina Radio Control; a car operated by two cars, a transmitter, and an antenna, to now - the futuristic dream of these autonomous cars have transformed into the reality of cars we see now. These cars are nothing short of the new technology advances that have occurred over the past decade. However, with these advances many question whether or not these cars are ready to be sold, due to the fatal accident that occurred May 2016 involving the autonomous Tesla and a white truck. Due to the Tesla not being able to detect the white tractor because of technological issues, the tesla failed to stop, and since the driver was not prepared to steer, it lead to the fatal collision eventually leading to the death of the tesla owner. With the increase of these cars on the road, from companies like BMW, Daimler, Ford, Apple, Uber, and Google, this poses a serious threat to not only the people operating this autonomous vehicle but also to the surrounding drivers. I believe that autonomous cars should not be put on the road, and that these cars are not beneficial to the population.
In the recent years, the United States government has been enforcing stricter mandates on auto manufacturers to create safer vehicles, and on construction companies to create safer roadways. Matthew Jensen wrote a dissertation for the Graduate School of Clemson University titled, A Methodology for the Analysis of In-vehicle Operating Data and Design of Intelligent Vehicle Systems for Improved Automotive Safety. In his abstract, Jensen evaluated the future of vehicle manufacturing and traffic-related incidents. Of course, every year more vehicles are manufactured, which in theory means the number of miles driven in vehicles increases. He points out how the World Health Organization (WHO) found that automobile crashes was the ninth
Ryan Calo is a law professor at the University of Washington. He discusses the importance of regulating autonomous cars. “When Congress asked the Department of Transportation to determine whether a software glitch caused Toyotas to suddenly accelerate, the agency had to ask NASA” (Calo). What Calo is say is that we need to have the knowledge and ability to regulate autonomous
One of the major incentives for developing autonomous vehicles is the potential impact on vehicle safety. In 2009, there were 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents in the US, resulting in 35,900 deaths (Census 2012). It’s estimated that over 90% of all accidents are due to