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Why autonomous vehicles may reach the market slowly

On Behalf of | Aug 14, 2017 | Car Accidents |

Although it is anticipated that autonomous vehicles will be safer, it may be a number of years before West Virginia drivers have the opportunity to purchase one. Despite optimistic predictions from industry insiders, several hurdles must be overcome before the cars will be widely available.

Around 94 percent of the accidents that kill nearly 100 people each day on U.S. roads are due to human error, and autonomous cars will in general not have these issues. Another advantage of autonomous vehicles is that more of them can fit on the road because it is not necessary to leave as much space between them. Several automobile manufacturers have predicted that autonomous vehicles will be for sale by the decade’s end while a former CEO of Uber said that by 2030, its fleet would be fully autonomous. In 2014, one analyst for Morgan Stanley said that within 20 years, all vehicles would be fully autonomous.

However, the issues around getting autonomous vehicles on the roads are complex. One complicated ethical issue is how a vehicle will be programmed to react if its choice is to injure its occupants, people in another vehicle or bystanders. Autonomous vehicles also require high-level data analytics and mapping. Furthermore, there may be resistance from consumers who see the vehicles as less safe or who simply want to do their own driving.

Autonomous vehicles will remove the possibilities of accidents caused by drunk drivers, for example, but until they are widespread, these drivers will still cause accidents. People who have been injured due to the negligence of another motorist might want legal assistance when seeking appropriate compensation.