Will Driverless Cars Eliminate Car Accidents?

Driverless cars are expected to grow in popularity and become commonplace on the streets, roads, highways and byways of the world over the next few decades. These autonomous vehicles (AVs) will be safer than traditional vehicles as they eliminate human driver errors, as well as preventing distracted driving and drunk driver accident risks. They are also lauded with the potential to reduce the consumption of energy and decrease pollution, as well as providing a reliable means of transportation to the elderly, disabled, and others who wouldn't normally be able to drive. While the United States is only beginning to consider the legal aspects of driverless cars, in 2013 Japan approved Nissan's autonomous Leaf vehicle for use on its roadways affording the automaker the ability to collect real data for its "Advanced Driver Assist System," the next step in bringing these new technology vehicles to the masses.

When will driverless cars be available?

There's lots of speculation on when fully autonomous vehicles will hit the market, how well they will be adopted by the public, and how disruptive they will be to the economy and to the insurance industry. Some envision AVs having a serious local economic impact as they could reduce income generated from traffic fines and would decrease the number of traffic police needed. Drunk drivers and drugged drivers would no longer pose a threat to the public, so jails and prisons would have more room, and because of the presumed decline in accidents, health and auto insurance companies could take a huge hit, as injuries related to car accidents and auto accident premiums would significantly decrease. In fact, according to Motherboard, PricewaterhouseCoopers published a report in 2013 saying that while the company believes that for a while, "business will continue more or less as normal," mostly because they believe that the wide spread adoption of AVs and the infrastructure to support them is still decades away. However, if AVs are indeed much safer than traditional human driven vehicles, and accident rates do decline significantly, insurance companies stand to realize a rather large profit for a while. There's no doubt that driverless cars may seriously change how insurance companies will work, but there are also independent business owners that must be taken into consideration; namely, truck drivers, cab drivers, car dealers, auto mechanics, and parking lot owners, as they stand to potentially lose out if this new technology becomes mainstay.

Until Driverless Cars are the Standard

Until these autonomous vehicles become the standard for personal travel, drunk driving, distracted driving, simple human error, and spontaneous roadway hazards like wild animals still pose a serious threat to safety. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact the Charleston car accident attorneys at Clore Law Group. We fight for the rights of those who have been injured by the negligence of others. The attorneys at Clore Law Group will help you obtain the compensation you may be eligible for under South Carolina law, including money for your pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. Call the Charleston car accident attorneys at Clore Law Group at 843-722-8070 now for a free case evaluation.