When it comes to self-driving cars, this is something that is slowly becoming mainstream, no matter how much we try to avoid it. It will eventually become a part of our lives to the point where if you don’t believe in self-driving cars, then you’d be considered to be weird. After all, we’re already in a time and age where if you’re not using a smartphone, or if you’re not driving automatic cars, then you really belong to the stone age.
The kind of response the self-driving cars gets from the masses will determine just what kind of future that the vehicles will enjoy. If people don’t like it, it’ll promptly be put out of commission, and as such they won’t be manufactured anymore. However, the more love they receive, the more they will be manufactured, and with time, they will get better and better.
So, when it comes to accidents, I guess we’d be in a bit of a conundrum. Self-driving cars can only work with algorithms, sort of what Logic Gates are. You know when a signal is True, you act this way, but when it’s False, you act that way. That’s basically all it’s about. There are markers on the road that cars and sensors will look out for, these things will determine just how well the cars will drive themselves. The smart car will sense when there’s someone on the road and know how to avoid hitting them, the cars will take note of the speed limit and wouldn’t drive even a single digit over it.
It works in so many ways and when you think about it, it can be a really good thing. But then, it does pose some serious concerns. Since it relies heavily on software, it would always require major upgrades. You know very well that from time to time, upgrades can end up making devices less enjoyable than we want them to be. It’s not every time that an upgrade is the best thing for a device. The same can be said for some vehicles.
Now, in the event of an accident, who gets to take the blame? We can say the company because they call the cars self-driving and make it seem like the cars know everything that can happen on the road and have a contingency for them all. So, when the car fails on that promise, we can blame the makers, right?
However, nothing is without its flaws, which is why the manufacturers always go ahead to warn the users that even though it’s a self-driving car, make sure a driver is in the seat, ready to take control. This is important because just because your car is self-driving doesn’t mean other cars on the road are self—driving. Someone else might be driving like a madman towards you and before your car can process what you do, you’ve already backed out and saved yourself.
Accidents will always happen, but is it the fault of the driver? Or is it the fault of the makers? I guess we can never really know. Every accident is unique to the other and they all have different factors that make them stand out. So, while there are accidents where you’ll be able to blame the manufacturers, there are others where you can’t blame them.
It won’t be funny if I’m driving down the road one day and my car suddenly stops in the middle of the highway simply because I got a bad upgrade, or I ran out of some insane subscription. It won’t be funny either if I’m driving through a storm and after lightning strikes, my car refuses to start up again. These could be cases that will be taken up against the company. However, in the event that the car is driven on bad roads, or where it can’t easily perform its duties as a self-driving car, then it would be your fault. I guess.
Well, when all is said and done, I guess the accident is what will determine what your next course of action will be. But for now, all this is not my problem. I don’t have a self-driving car yet, so I’ll let the people who have it, worry about it.
