Autonomous Cars Are No Guarantee Car Accidents Won’t Happen

The Delaware auto accident attorneys at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman have decades of combined experience representing victims of negligent drivers and auto manufacturers. We work with clients out of our Seaford, Newark, and Wilmington offices.

Numerous companies are currently investing in self-driving cars and trucks. The investors and companies see these vehicles as the wave of the future, because drivers of self-driving cars will have extra “help” operating their vehicles, or even need no help at all. The biggest argument investors and businesses make is that these autonomous vehicles will help avoid car accidents. The theory behind this argument is that robot cars don’t drive while drunk, they’re not distracted while driving, and self-driving vehicles don’t suffer fatigue or nod off behind the wheel.

A new study from AP News reports that, while these new autonomous vehicles may help avoid crashes, there are many accidents they won’t be able to avoid. The study, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), states that computer-controlled vehicles will only be able to stop about one-third of the crashes caused by human error. Since human error accounts for 94% of vehicle accidents in America, that means the self-driving cars will still miss about 31% of all crashes.

The IIHS reviewed 5,000 crashes where the causes of the crash were reported and detailed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study highlighted crashes that autonomous cars should be able to detect, such as:

• Sensing and perceiving errors. This category includes impaired visibility, distracted driving, and the inability to see hazards until it was too late.
• Human incapacitation crashes. This category includes drivers who fell asleep, drivers who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and drivers with medical problems.

The study did not separate out accidents that robot cars might have a hard time avoiding, such as:

• Misjudging the speed of other vehicles
• Driving too fast for road conditions
• Execution errors such as “incorrect evasive maneuvers”

One of the authors of the IIHS study, Jessica Cicchino, used the example of a bike, motorcycle, or car that “suddenly veers into the path of the autonomous vehicle.” A robotic car may not be programmed to steer away in time or stop in time for a sudden object in its path.

Cicchino also said the ability of robot cars to avoid crashes depends a great deal on how well the vehicle is programmed. The more self-driving cars are programmed with artificial intelligence to act just like humans, the less likely it is that the vehicle will stop a crash. In short, programming the vehicles can be a double-edged sword. The programs actually need to be “better” than human drivers to avoid many accidents.

Counter arguments to the IIHS autonomous vehicle study

An advocacy group, Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), for makers of autonomous vehicles said the IIHS study is flawed because it “assumes superior perception and lack of distraction are the only ways autonomous vehicles can drive better than humans.” PAVE claims that autonomous vehicles can also be programmed to follow all traffic laws. Failure to follow these laws causes 38% of all vehicle crashes. PAVE asserts the percentage of crashes robot cars could avoid is much better than the IIHS study of 31 percent.

The report by AP News also spoke with Missy Cumming, a Duke University robotics and human factors professor. Ms. Cummings stated that the IIHS study may be giving robot cars too much credit. She said, “Even vehicles with laser, radar and camera sensors don’t always perform flawlessly in all conditions,”

Cicchino said the IIHS study assumed that every vehicle on the road was autonomous – which means the 31% was probably optimistic, considering autonomous cars will likely mix with human driven cars for a long time.

So far, the companies that are working on autonomous vehicles have yet to run a large-scale test on their vehicles without backup human drivers.

At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, our Delaware car and truck accident lawyers keep abreast with the latest automotive technology. We file personal injury claims and product liability claims for driver negligence and when cars malfunction due to defects. We demand compensation for your physical pain, emotional suffering, lost income, medical bills, scarring, disfigurement, and loss of life’s pleasures. You can schedule an appointment in our Wilmington, Newark, or Seaford offices by calling us at 302.888.2900 or by filling out our contact form.