Autonomous vehicles were supposed to make our roads safer by eliminating human error, but the reality is much more complicated. As self-driving cars become more common, accidents involving these vehicles raise legal questions about liability, insurance coverage, and product defects.
When a self-driving car’s technology fails and causes an accident, determining who’s responsible—the manufacturer, software developer, vehicle owner, or human driver—requires a thorough investigation.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Self-Driving Car Accident?
In Kansas City, multiple parties can share liability when a self-driving accident occurs. Award-winning car accident lawyers in Kansas City have handled these collisions which often involve several entities throughout the vehicle’s development and operation chain:
- The Driver: The human in physical control of the vehicle could face liability if they were distracted, failed to monitor the vehicle properly, or didn’t respond appropriately when the system required intervention.
- The Company: Corporations that own autonomous vehicles may bear responsibility when their employees operate these vehicles negligently while conducting business activities.
- Manufacturer: Vehicle manufacturers face potential liability when defective autonomous driving systems, faulty sensors, or inadequate safety features contribute to crashes.
- Technology Companies: Software developers and companies providing autonomous driving technology could be held responsible for programming errors, inadequate testing, or failure to update systems with necessary safety improvements.
- Maintenance Providers: Companies responsible for servicing and updating autonomous vehicle systems may face liability if improper maintenance or failed updates contribute to accidents.
Recoverable Damages in Self-Driving Car Accidents
When you file an insurance claim or lawsuit after a self-driving car accident, you can recover compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. A Kansas City injury attorney can help recover economic damages which include quantifiable financial losses such as medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages from missed work, property damage to your vehicle, and ongoing treatment expenses.
Non-economic damages address the human impact of your injuries that can’t be easily quantified. This compensation covers physical discomfort, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment in daily activities. You may also recover damages for permanent disability, disfigurement, or reduced quality of life.
Common Causes of Crashes Involving Autonomous Vehicles
Despite their sophisticated technology, self-driving cars aren’t infallible. These vehicles rely on complex systems of sensors, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence to navigate roads, but each component can malfunction or misinterpret traffic situations.
For example:
- Sensor failures can occur when equipment becomes dirty, damaged, or overwhelmed by weather conditions like heavy rain, snow, or fog.
- The vehicle’s cameras might struggle to distinguish between shadows and actual obstacles, or fail to properly identify pedestrians, cyclists, or construction zones.
- Many self-driving cars still require drivers to remain alert and ready to take control when necessary. However, drivers often become complacent, distracted by phones or other activities, assuming the technology will handle everything safely.
The artificial intelligence controlling these vehicles must process enormous amounts of data in real-time, making split-second decisions about speed, direction, and obstacle avoidance. When the software encounters unexpected situations it wasn’t programmed to handle—such as unusual road configurations, emergency vehicles, or construction detours—it may make dangerous decisions or become confused.
Why You Need a Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer on Your Side
Accidents involving autonomous vehicles raise complex questions about manufacturer liability, software malfunctions, and human oversight responsibilities. Dollar, Burns, Becker, and Hershewe stays current with evolving laws governing self-driving technology to fight for our clients’ fair compensation when these systems fail. We investigate both technological failures and human error to identify all liable parties in your self-driving car accident. Contact us at (816) 876-2600 to schedule your free consultation with a Kansas City car accident attorney.