Self-driving trucks are right around the corner. That’s the news of several recent press reports. According to AP News, self-driving tractor-trailers are poised to take over the transportation and logistics industry in the near future. Companies like Aurora Innovation plan to put thousands of self-driving trucks on the road to carry freight around the country, dispensing with the need for truck drivers.
How will accident cases change if there is no driver in the cab? At Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, we stay on the cutting edge of legal and technological change to better serve our clients. Below, our Atlanta truck accident lawyer explains what the future of personal injury claims will look like when no driver is to blame for a crash.
How Autonomous Trucks Work
These rigs are similar to self-driving sedans and use much of the same technology: a series of cameras, radar, and advanced sensors outfitted on the truck search for obstacles in its path and send information to a computer, which decides which action to take. In tests, autonomous trucks can spot something in its path, use the turn signal, and then move into an unobstructed lane.
This technology is already available in most of the cars our clients drive. Crash assistance technology allows your car to brake without driver input when sensors pick up a pedestrian or other obstacle right in front of the car. Autonomous technology takes this “self-driving” to a whole new level.
Will Logistics Companies Really Put Driverless Trucks on the Road?
The incentives are there already. Many companies are struggling to find experienced truckers. This is a grueling profession, with extended stays away from families. To fill their employee ranks, many companies are currently trying to lure truckers in their 70s out of retirement. The industry is also trying to pressure Congress to lower the minimum driving age from 21 to 18.
Self-driving technology can reduce the demand for labor. Also, trucking companies constantly end up suspending truckers for drug or alcohol violations, and these problems disappear when a computer is driving the truck.
The financial aspects make sense. Companies can reduce labor costs and improve reliability with self-driving technology.
There is debate about how fast the change will occur. One view is that change will be gradual. Some trucks will still have a human in the cab to monitor the vehicle but not drive it. Over time, however, most trucks will be truly driverless.
Accidents Involving Self-Driving Trucks
According to current tests, self-driving vehicles are incredibly safe—often safer than vehicles driven by humans. The computers which operate these vehicles make snap decisions to keep a vehicle in lane and avoid collisions. Computers are not distracted or fatigued the way humans can be, so the number of accidents will be lower.
But collisions will still occur. This technology is not 100% foolproof. Also defects in the sensors or cameras can lead to faulty inputs in the computer. Imagine a sensor is not working on the truck. The computer will not know that it needs to take defensive action to keep the truck from crashing into a vehicle right in front of it.
Accidents will still occur, and injured victims will seek compensation to help them pay for car damage and medical bills. The key legal issue will be liability: who will have responsibility when the truck is driverless.
Liability for Collisions with Autonomous Vehicles
If you are involved in a crash with a self-driving truck, the main question will still be liability, or fault. In other words, who or what caused the accident.
Even the most advanced technology will not be foolproof. However, without a truck driver in the cab, liability will shift to the owner of the truck.
The owner might be liable for failing to keep the truck in good working condition. For example, they could fail to update the computer, cameras, or sensors. This failure could lead to accidents which injure people.
In other cases, the truck might confront complex scenarios, like construction zones, which confuse the computer. We anticipate the trucking company to be liable in those cases as well. They risk using self-driving technology and must shoulder the burden of any crash.
However, motorists might also be blamed for contributing to the crash. Georgia’s comparative negligence law could prevent you from receiving compensation. Under this law, victims cannot receive compensation if they are even 50% at fault for an accident.
What to Do After a Crash
We anticipate many drivers being confused if they crash with a driverless truck. You wait and wait for someone to come out of the cab, but there is no one there.
Nonetheless, you should still do the following:
- Call the police to report the crash. An officer should still create a crash report for the wreck.
- Document the accident, including pictures of the truck and your car.
- Speak with witnesses who observed the crash. Ask if you can have their phone number.
- Receive prompt medical care to treat your injuries.
You should also reach out to a lawyer. Accidents involving high-tech vehicles will be more complicated to analyze. The key considerations will be whether the technology was working properly at the time of the crash.
Many lawyers are not prepared to analyze complex technical information. For this reason, it is critical to hire the right truck accident lawyer in Atlanta so that you are confident your case is tackled the correct way. Only a lawyer with knowledge of how autonomous vehicles operate can fight to obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries.
Call Our Office to Schedule Your Personal, Free Consultation
Driverless trucks could transform the trucking industry. Nonetheless, collisions will continue to occur, and innocent victims need a powerful advocate in their corner. Trucking companies will still have teams of lawyers and investigators in their corner, fighting off claims and offering small settlements. You must have an experienced law firm to guide you through any insurance or personal injury case.Contact our office, (404) 529-3476, to speak to an Atlanta truck accident lawyer about what happened. We can act quickly to protect our clients’ rights.