With self-driving cars increasingly common on American roads, determining fault in accidents involving these vehicles remains a complex issue. Current self-driving technology, such as Tesla’s Autopilot, still requires human oversight, meaning drivers must stay alert. In accidents where the human driver engaged autopilot but ignored road conditions, the driver may be liable due to inattention. However, the manufacturer could be at fault when the accident stems from a technological flaw—like issues with autopilot functionality, power steering, or battery failure.
A fault may also rest with a previous owner or seller, mainly if the vehicle was sold in substandard condition or lacked necessary maintenance, leading to a safety failure. Yet, proving the previous owner’s negligence can be challenging if the car appeared functional before the accident.
Finally, software development errors in the vehicle’s programming could be a factor, but the newer nature of self-driving technology limits available data, making this hard to substantiate.
source: https://tingeylawfirm.com/who-is-at-fault-in-self-driving-car-accidents/
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