A hot topic at the moment is self-driving cars. Will these create more dangers for the road? Or will it make the road a safer place? While they are yet to come to Bellingham and Whatcom County, the self-driving car has been said to possibly make our roads safer.
After the Tesla autopilot crash, there has been a great debate about if these cars will cause more or less car accidents. Tesla’s autopilot feature is semi-autonomous system that creates the autopilot affect by using cameras, sensors and radars to steer the wheel and drive the car.
Despite these new developments there have been no new rules governing this new type of technology. There are also no standardized tests the cars need to take to pass before citizens can take them for a drive on the road. It is the car’s manufacturers who get to make the call about if the car is ready for the general public, their only restraint is liability.
Regulators are being called to intervene and people are calling for action for regulations to be put into place.
It is still noted that self-driving cars still may be safer then human driven cars, as most drivers are distracted drivers who cause car accidents. More than 90 percent of car crashes are caused by human error.
NHTSA will release guidelines to manufacturers for the safe operation of these self-driving cars. They are partaking in rigorous testing and data on performance. Despite the need for these regulations to hopefully prevent car accidents in Bellingham and the nation when these cars come out, their guidelines are “expected suggestions” rather than mandates. One of the biggest concerns is that the drivers are not a reliable backup as they may learn to trust their car too much, so they may not be ready to act to prevent a car crash. To read more about this subject, click here.
If you have been in a car accident in Whatcom County and Bellingham, please contact us for a free consultation.