Delray Tesla Driver Dies in Accident with Semi

Driverless Cars and Safety Tips

Prior to the innovation of driverless cars, the law was clear in regards to vehicle safety as well as the liability of the vehicle drivers, manufacturers, and owners for property damage and personal injuries sustained in an accident. Now with self-driving cars, however, this is not so clear. Indeed, issues arise over who is ultimately legally and financially responsible for establishing and regulating safety measures for self-driving vehicles. Likewise, fault can be difficult to determine when a self-driving car is involved in an accident. A lack of national safety standards and the approval by more and more states of self-driving cars makes litigation difficult.

That being said, as long as some aspect of human assistance is necessary to operate self-driving cars, those individuals, whether monitoring the vehicle from a remote location or sitting in the driver’s seat while the car is operating, can potentially still be liable if negligent. Moreover, if the human remote operators or drivers are employees of the company that owns or operates the driverless vehicles or a company that is testing those cars, the companies may be on the hook for damages. As in any personal injury case, it is necessary for the aggrieved party to prove fault. This is typically done under the theory of negligence. Ways in which this can be done when a driverless vehicle is involved includes proving a defect in the design or development of the self-driving system, obtaining the vehicle’s data or event recorder to prove a violation of a traffic law, as well as other evidence.

Some ways in which you can try to keep safe when sharing the road with semi-trucks in Florida include: paying respect by keeping distance, not assuming the truck driver can see you, staying outside of the truck’s blind spots, being aware of wide right turns, and staying off the road when there is inclement weather.

The experienced Florida personal injury attorneys at Bogin, Munns & Munns understand how truck accidents are different from other crashes. We can fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for your free personal injury consultation.

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NOTICE: The article above is not intended to serve as legal advice, and you should not rely on it as such. It is offered only as general information. You should consult with a duly licensed attorney regarding your Florida legal matter, as every situation is unique. Please know that merely reading this article, subscribing to this blog, or otherwise contacting Bogin, Munns & Munns does not establish an attorney-client relationship with our firm. Should you seek legal representation from Bogin, Munns & Munns, any such representation must first be agreed to by the firm and confirmed in a written agreement.

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