It seems like everyone is buying a self-driving car. Why wouldn’t people buy autonomous cars since many manufacturers believe that self-driving cars improve driver safety by removing human error on the road? It seems like the fewer manually operated vehicles on the road, the fewer people will suffer from car accidents.
However, driverless cars are far from safe. In many cases, these vehicles have mechanical and coding errors that make them just as or more dangerous than most cars. Here’s what you should know:
Spontaneously exploding batteries
Most self-driving cars are entirely electrical. Instead of running off gas, they use a large battery, which can be charged at most gas stations and some convenience stores. While these batteries are seemingly environmentally friendly, they aren’t user-friendly. In other words, there have been instances where these batteries seemingly spontaneously explode, putting the driver and passenger in danger.
Routing and sensory issues
Autonomous cars use mapping technology and sensory equipment to get to destinations safely. However, there can be issues if the car uses an outdated map and can’t detect roadblocks or missing roads, leading to a collision. In one case, a self-driving car error caused a fatal accident when the sensory equipment didn’t notice someone on their bike.
Hacking
Technology has always had a history of people who’ve wanted more control over their devices. In many cases, hackers have used their skills for good and have made a career out of what they enjoy. In other cases, however, hackers use their skills for evil.
As such, because autonomous cars use modern technology to function, they are also highly vulnerable to hacking. This can result in a hacker taking control of a self-driving car and using it like a play toy. The only issue is that there are living people that can get hurt as a result.
If you’re in an auto accident, it’s important to understand who’s at fault when taking legal action. An accident with a self-driving car may not always be the fault of the driver but of the manufacturer.
