There was a time, not so long ago, when self-driving vehicles seemed like an impossibility. But as tech giant Google has recently proven, self-driving vehicles are a possibility, and some think they may even be safer than a human-driven vehicle.
Millions of Miles Travelled, Nearly No Human Intervention Required
In late 2015 Google shared a report with California regulators which revealed statistics on its autonomous vehicles’ journeys on Californian roads between September 2014 and November 2015. It also revealed when human intervention in the vehicles’ operation was required.
Google’s self-driving vehicles have now traveled more than 1.3 million miles in test rides. During that time:
- There were 341 safety-related instances where a human driver needed to take control
- There were 272 instances where a test driver had to take control of the vehicle because of issues such as software problems or a broken wire
- Test drivers were alerted to these issues by visual and audio signals in an average of 0.84 seconds
- 13 of these instances would have resulted in the vehicle making contact with another object if not for human intervention
- 3 of these 13 instances were because of another reckless or negligent vehicle and not the self-driving vehicle
Today’s Motor Vehicle Accidents
Google admits that its vehicles are not yet roadworthy and, as one can imagine, there are many liability and insurance issues to be worked out before these vehicles can take to the road. Whether they will result in the fewer driver-error accident remains to be seen, but in the meantime, should you be injured in an auto accident, your first actions are important to both your recovery and any potential claim for compensation.
It is important for you to first assess your physical health and be tended to by a healthcare professional as soon as possible. This is important for two reasons:
- You can significantly reduce your recovery time and improve your health
- You will have documentation of your injuries
After that, you may choose to contact your insurance company or a qualified Sutter Creek personal injury firm like ours at Redkey Gordon Law Corp. We extend free consultations to anyone who wants to learn about their legal rights and how to best proceed with their case.
We welcome your call today at (209) 267-1685.