Self-Driving Vehicle Accident Attorneys: Chicago, Illinois

What do Tesla, Ford, Google, Amazon, and Apple have in common? They are all involved in a scientific race to create autonomous driving technology, and many motorists are unaware of just how close self-driving cars are becoming a reality.

Autonomous driving will likely create many legal problems in the future as the concept claims to solve for the driving public. Many legislators will raise questions over whether a driver should be held liable for the actions of a computer acting on their behalf.

Hiring an Autonomous Driving car Accident Attorney Can Help Get You Compensation for Your Injuries

The Chicago car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC are already tackling these questions in preparation for the inevitability of self-driving technology.

Our personal injury lawyers currently provide legal representation to clients throughout Illinois, including Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Naperville, and Schaumburg. Let us discuss your car accident claim today during a free case evaluation.

Self-Driving Car Accident FAQs

Autonomous Driving Improves Everyone’s Safety

The world has yet to see fully autonomous driving vehicles crowding American roadways to determine precisely how safe self-driving cars will be in the years ahead. While there will no longer be negligent drivers traveling faster than the speed limit while not wearing a seatbelt, autonomous vehicles create different problems.

The cars will still need to drive during cold winter months on slippery surfaces or degrading asphalt roads littered with stones and debris. Pedestrians will still be lunging out in front of moving vehicles, making the autonomous vehicle come to an abrupt stop to avoid an accident.

For years, insurance companies have known that autonomous cars will still be involved in accidents, even if the car’s computer is not to blame. The vehicle’s computers artificial intelligence will likely have an unforeseeable software bug that wreaks havoc. Older self-driving vehicles will break down through mechanical problems, blown tires, or malfunctioning components.

It will likely be years before self-driving motorcycles share the road with autonomous vehicles. Until then, motorcycle accidents will still cause catastrophic injuries.

Owners of autonomous vehicles will still need sufficient, comprehensive insurance coverage to pay for any uninsured motorist or underinsured driver causing an accident.

Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft are eager to provide service using autonomous vehicles that will likely be involved in accidents. Their self-driving vehicles might not need a driver behind the wheel nor the driver’s insurance company offering liability insurance policies.

However, the rideshare companies will still be legally responsible for any damage not associated with traditional human driving.

Self-Driving Technology is Already Here

When asked, most people will admit that they feel that autonomous vehicles’ mass production is in the distant future. This conflicts with the reality that many self-driving prototypes already exist and are currently being tested on local roads worldwide.

Some governments have even begun to develop correlating technology for highways, which can support the current developments being made by Google, Tesla, and other major automakers.

Most hands-free driving technology allows drivers to transfer vehicle control over to an autopilot mode while on the highways. This autonomous system takes control similar to using cruise control, such as applying the brake or turning the vehicle using a steering wheel maneuver.

Eventually, a fully autonomous vehicle could be trusted on all roads and under all driving conditions. Even though this technology hasn’t been developed yet, the possibility of vehicles that can drive autonomously at some level has already been realized.

Nissan and Mobileye are two companies that have promised vehicles’ ability to navigate city traffic by the year 2018. They are competing with Apple, Amazon, and many other technology companies that are all trying to catch up to Google and Tesla.

Google’s self-driving vehicles have already made it onto the roads in California, so it is only a matter of time before we see self-driving vehicles from major automakers like Ford, Nissan, Mercedes, Tesla, and Audi. Toyota is even rumored to have entered the race.

Who is Responsible for the Actions of a Computer in a car Accident?

The question of liability for autonomous vehicles’ actions could not be more epitomized through the ‘Fetch’ feature installed on Tesla self-driving vehicles. This feature activates the vehicle and guides it to the user without any occupants inside.

Who is to blame should the vehicle encounter a pedestrian, motorcyclist, or another vehicle and be involved in a motor vehicle accident? Car accident victims deserve monetary compensation if the accident was not their fault, but can you argue that the “driver” is responsible for what his or her car did when they were not even inside at the time of the accident?

Another question that needs to be answered is how investigators can effectively reconstruct the events leading up to an accident if there is a lack of reliable testimony. A computer cannot provide a reliable recollection of events and cannot report how the opposing party acted before the collision.

If the vehicle is occupied, how can liability be determined when the vehicle is designed to allow the driver to take his or her attention off the road to focus on other matters? Are your car accident injuries or wrongful death the fault of a driver who failed to take control of the vehicle back or the fault of a defective program or machine?

Current technology is designed to alert the driver to take over the wheel immediately. Still, it is easy for drivers to hide behind claims that the technology did not alert them quickly enough or that control was not transferred in time.

Like many of the safety features that have been released in recent years, this technology creates as many questions as it answers and is likely to cause accidents that wouldn’t have taken place had the driver always been in control.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation have yet to set regulations when managing autonomous vehicles.

Most car accident cases with serious injuries will likely disappear every year when engineers perfect self-driving technology That could eliminate property damage and the types of injuries caused by distracted driving, drunk driving, and negligence.

The Importance of Strong Legal Counsel to Represent Your Interests in a Collision With a Self-Driving Vehicle

If you or your loved one or involved in a self-driving car or truck accident, you likely have the right to seek financial compensation for your injuries and damages. You can likely file a claim to pay for your medical expenses for injuries that might involve broken bones, brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and lacerations.

A personal injury attorney working on your Injury case will investigate the accident scene, review your medical records, and help you obtain the best medical treatment to heal completely.

Hiring a Chicago Self-Driving Car Accident Lawyer

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC is an award-winning law firm that has helped thousands of clients recover the financial compensation they needed to cover the costs of their medical care and additional expenses following a car accident. Our Our experience and knowledge helps to view every case from all angles to answer difficult legal questions.

If you have been in an accident, our Chicago car accident lawyers can help you collect the maximum amount of compensation Illinois tort law will allow. Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation.

Our auto accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we do not get paid until we have secured monetary compensation on your behalf. All personal injury claims and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed in the appropriate county courthouse before the state statute of limitations expires.

Our auto accident attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).