Self-Driving Car Hits Bus

One of Google’s self-driving cars collided with a public bus in California on February 14th. The car was attempting to avoid an obstruction in the road when the front left of the vehicle struck the right side of the bus.

California law requires that a human driver be in the front seat of the car and able to take control when necessary. According to Google, the driver believed the bus would yield and had not taken control before the collision occurred. Google engineers have since updated the software in their self-driving cars to indicate that buses may be less inclined to yield to cars than other vehicles.

Google did not admit fault, but in a written statement did acknowledge some responsibility for the accident because “…if our car hadn’t moved there wouldn’t have been a collision.” Noone was injured in the collision.

Development of laws and regulations for self-driving cars is ongoing. Lawmakers will have to determine how or if self-driving cars are capable of safely managing everyday driving situations, consider the overall risk to the public, and determine how to assign blame or fault for damages resulting from a collision with an automated vehicle.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, whether it involved a self-driven car or a human-driven car, contact Daniel & Partners. We offer a free initial consultation for personal injury matters, including those involving car accidents. Our dedicated personal injury team is committed to ensuring that our clients have the resources necessary to recover from their injuries.

Blog post written by Karen Shedden, NCA Candidate

Car accident lawyer