Google’s Autonomous Vehicle Involved in its First Injury-Causing Car Wreck

Humans are flawed beings, and are prone to all sorts of behaviors that can cause deadly car wrecks in Charleston- or anywhere for that matter. It's often said that if we could simply remove human error from the equation, there would be far fewer deaths and injuries on our roadways. Google, of all companies, has been putting this theory to the test. In some areas, the company's driverless vehicles make the rounds, capturing images for their programs. After more than 1.7 million miles, the unthinkable finally happened. The Google autonomous vehicle was in a crash that left people injured. Not Surprisingly, the Other Driver was at Fault The accident didn't prove that self-driving cars are dangerous, though. In fact, it's quite the opposite. According to a blog written by Google's own Chris Urmson, the company's Lexus had stopped for a red light when it was hit by another vehicle. Their vehicles come equipped with software that records what happens on the road and it captured a digital rendition of the incident as it occurred. Interestingly, the other vehicle did not even begin to slow or divert its course before it plowed into the back of the Lexus. Although police were present, no official report was made. However, the data captured by Google strongly suggests the accent was caused by distracted driving. Nobody was Seriously Hurt in the Car Wreck Google's self-driving vehicles have a person on board to ensure safety, but neither that individual, nor anyone in the other vehicle, was seriously injured in the crash. Minor whiplash was the only physical injury. The Google Lexus received a few scratches, but the other vehicle didn't fare quit as well, as it lost its bumper in the collision. This was Google's 14^th Accident Although this was the first accident involving injury, it wasn't Google's only collision. To date, their self-driving vehicles have been involved in 14 collisions, including 11 rear-enders. Each time, the other driver has been at fault. Since 2009, their vehicles have driven over 1.7 million miles, and continue to travel approximately 10,000 miles each week, which is roughly the same amount the average American drives over the course of an entire year. Urmson believes this as further proof that technology is heading in the right direction, as more driverless vehicles take to the streets.

Charleston Car Wreck Attorney

Perhaps the world would be a much safer place if every vehicle on the road was self-driving. Until that day comes, even autonomous vehicles can be dangerous places to be due to the poor habits real human drivers possess. Unfortunately, this means that there will continue to be injuries, deaths, and property damage for a long time to come. Victims are not expected to recover from these incidents alone, which is why courts routinely award reparations when someone has behaved negligently. If you've been hurt in a collision, you may be entitled to compensation to cover your losses and repairs. For a no-obligation consultation, please contact us online, or speak to one of our attorneys now by calling 1(800)610-2546.