Self-driving cars have been encountering problems for several years. In May of 2016, a driver was killed when his Tesla Model S, which was on Autopilot, collided with a truck. Arizona, back in March of 2018, saw the first pedestrian death involving a self-driving car. Ohio drivers may find themselves agreeing, then, with a Rand Corporation report that automakers are not sufficiently test-driving their vehicles in their rush to get them out on the market.
The report says that the cars may need to be tested for millions or even billions of miles before they can demonstrate their ability to reduce injuries and fatalities on the road. No single autonomous car tech company has reached the level that Rand has set; even Waymo, which has test driven its vehicles for 10 million miles in the real world and for 7 billion more miles on virtual roads, has not reached it.
It may take decades or possibly centuries for existing fleets to be sufficiently test-driven: an impossible task if the only aim were to demonstrate their performance. Test-driving alone is not enough since there are variables to test as well, such as road conditions, weather, pedestrian behaviors and traffic flow. One company, Nvidia, has a simulation platform called Drive Constellation that may meet Rand’s high expectations in this regard.
When self-driving cars are involved in accidents, they complicate matters for victims who want to seek damages. This is where Columbus, Ohio, auto accident injuries compensation attorneys may come in with advice and guidance. If a case evaluation determines that victims have a viable case, the lawyer might hire investigators and other third parties to strengthen the case. Whether the defendant is the driver or the automaker itself, the lawyer may be able to negotiate for a settlement.