Uber Car Made Decision Not To Swerve in Fatal Accident
June 21, 2018
It is no secret that self-driving cars are the future of driving. In an effort to eliminate human error, companies are working hard to perfect self-driving vehicles. There are actually plenty of self-driving vehicles on the road today, as the technology is still being developed and tweaked. Recently, it was an unfortunate accident involving a self-driving Uber vehicle that made headlines. The SUV struck and killed a 49-year-old woman as she was walking her bicycle across the street.
The incident has since been in the news as the investigation looks to figure out why the self-driving vehicle did not try to avoid the woman as she crossed in front of its path. Recently, it was determined that the reason is that the vehicle’s software was tuned in such a way that it decided it did not need to take evasive action. It has been said that the vehicle may have flagged the woman as a “false positive.” The reason this may happen is that the software and computers that power the self-driving vehicle might see something it thinks is a human or another obstacle. Uber reportedly set the threshold so low that the system saw the woman crossing the road with the bicycle but still decided immediate evasive action was not needed.
Technology and Human Error Still Play a Big Role
It is painfully clear that self-driving vehicles are still a long way off from eliminating motor vehicle accidents, especially since human error can still come into play when programming and setting the technology. In addition to the faulty technology on the Uber vehicle, there was an Uber safety driver in the vehicle who was supposed to act as a fail safe and be able to take control should a failure occur. It was determined that the safety driver had glanced down in the moments before the crash.
Again, this just points to how human error and negligence can have fatal and catastrophic consequences, especially on the road. In this case, it left a woman dead. In other cases, people have been left critically injured.
Personal Injury Lawyers in NJ Will Get You Compensated
If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, you need the help of Hoyt & Hoyt, PC in New Jersey. There, the personal injury lawyers will put their experience to work making sure you are compensated for any damages suffered. Whether your injury came at the hands of a negligent driver or a manufacturer’s error, they will find the responsible party and hold them accountable. In the meantime, you can concentrate on recovering from your injury. Just pick up the phone and dial (973) 718-7744 to speak with a lawyer today and get your case evaluated.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.
