Driverless Cars Face Uphill Battle With U.S. Legal System

The first driverless cars could begin to roll into showrooms by 2025 – if not sooner — a panel of experts agreed during the annual convention of automotive engineers in Detroit. And many of the technologies that will permit autonomous driving will become commonplace even sooner. Most major carmakers already offer automated parking systems and radar-guided cruise control technology that allows a vehicle to hold with the flow of traffic, even if it comes to a complete stop.

But one of the big questions is whether the U.S. legal system will prevent the widespread use of autonomous vehicles even though the nation’s top auto safety official has suggested self-driving cars could reduce by "thousands" the annual American highway death toll.

"Connected and autonomous vehicles will be the car of the future — cars that don’t crash for drivers who live in a sea of distraction," proclaimed Peter Sweatman, Director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. At least 10 percent of the fatalities on U.S. roads last year involved distracted driving. And some form of human error is considered the sole factor in 76 percent of vehicle crashes.

Proponents insist that autonomous vehicles, with cameras, laser, and radar sensors, will be able to traverse the nation’s highways without distraction and ultimately outperform even the best human drivers.

During a session at the SAE World Congress, various speakers outlined their ambitions – and concerns – about autonomous technology. While proponents see a bright future for driverless technology, anticipating a sharp decline in vehicle collisions, injuries and fatalities, they also warn that the tolerance for error will be small.

In the highly litigious U.S. legal system, plaintiffs’ attorneys are certain to zero in on any crash involving an autonomous vehicle. That, some observers caution, could force the auto industry to hold back on driverless technology, at least in the States, while introducing it in other parts of the world where they might spend less time defending themselves in court.

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