Self-driving cars seem to promise a safer future on our roadways by eliminating the risk of human error. However, the recent death of a driver in a Tesla car using the Autopilot feature calls the safety of self-driving cars into question.
The car accident killed Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio when his Tesla Model S hit a tractor-trailer that was turning left in front of his vehicle. After colliding with the truck, the Tesla ran off the road and hit a fence and power pole. In preliminary reports by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it was indicated that the car failed to apply the brakes and was speeding at 74 mph in a 65 mph zone, but it has not been determined if the cause of the accident was a system malfunction, driver inattentiveness or the actions of the truck driver.
Unlike Google self-driving cars, the Tesla models do not rely on Lidar (light detection and ranging), but on a computer vision-based system that is still in testing and warns users that driver intervention is still necessary. Tesla is facing an investigation by NHTSA into whether the Autopilot feature poses an unreasonable risk to safety.
At Kline & Specter, PC, we take consumer safety seriously. Our dedicated lawyers have won major victories for our injured clients, including a $153 million verdict for the family of a child killed by a truck with a defective parking brake and a $30 million settlement for severe injuries caused by a defective rear seat lap belt.
Our defective product cases have not only resulted in large monetary results for our clients, but also helped change industry safety standards to make products safer for the American consumer.
Have you or you loved one been seriously injured because of a defective car? Please call the experienced injury attorneys of Kline & Specter for a free case consultation. You can reach our law firm online through this website or by calling 800-243-1100. We represent clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and across the nation.
