I remember working on legislation before the Texas Legislature at least as far back as 2017 on this very issue.  I know it will come as a shock, but some of the manufactures and programmers of these vehicles were seeking a free pass for the injuries that they caused.  I remember arguing to our representatives that it is in the face of new technology that the tort system and products liability should be most robust, not stripped of its effectiveness.  I argued that it was only a matter of time before a vehicle misread a stop sign, there was something unexpected in the road, bad weather, or simply poor programming or hacking would result in crippling injuries or deaths on our highways.  Since then, I have been proven right.  Unexpected injury causing events with these vehicles now happen so regularly that they rarely make the news.

Who Should be Responsible when Injuries Occur?

Today, I saw that Tesla is recalling nearly 54,000 cars and SUVs because their “Full Self-Driving” software lets them roll through stop signs without coming to a complete halt. Tesla has indicated that it plans disable the feature with an over-the-internet software update. The “rolling stop” feature allows vehicles to go through intersections with all-way stop signs at up to 5.6 miles per hour.  In Texas, the driver of the vehicle could still be held responsible for this self-driving vehicle blowing a stop sign.  Tesla may also be held responsible if the injured party has the wherewithal to spend the tens of thousands of dollars to prove that the injury was the result of negligent programming.  While this issue has been exposed, how many other flaws in self-driving technology is exposing all of us on the road to harm?

Reach out to McCraw Law Group If You Have been Injured by a Self-Driving Car

Rest assured that if and when these unreasonably dangerous actions cause harm, Lin McCraw and the team at McCraw Law Group will be fighting to make it right, and to require that the manufacturers and programmers of new and promising technologies are responsible for the harm they cause to our families.