The question is not whether trucks can drive themselves; by 2024, the answer is a resounding yes. Instead, the question is whether it is safe to allow trucks on the road without human drivers, and in this case, it is not a simple yes or no question, either. Driverless trucks on Louisiana’s roads are a question of when, not if; just across the border in Texas, trucks are rumbling down the highway with trailers full of freight, and with nobody in the driver’s seat. If things go well, they will be coming to Louisiana before you know it. Even though no one is driving these trucks, someone is legally responsible for them. If the autonomous vehicle technology malfunctions and one of these trucks causes an accident, people who get injured in the accident will have the same legal remedies available to them as people who get injured when another driver crashes into their car. If you have been injured in a car accident where autonomous vehicle technology played a role, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
Trucks are Dangerous, and Truck Drivers Only Add to the Danger
Aurora, an autonomous vehicle company based in Pennsylvania, is currently testing driverless trucks on test tracks in Texas. Each truck looks just like the 18-wheelers that we see on I-10 every day, except that they do not have a driver. Instead, the trucks have dozens of cameras and sensors to enable them to determine when to adjust their speed or change lanes to avoid obstacles. So far, the tests are promising; a driverless truck on a dark road can detect a pedestrian-like obstacle from farther away than a human driver, relying on street lamps and the truck’s headlights, can see a pedestrian in the road. The plan is for the trucks to begin intrastate routes in Texas this summer; they will run on highways where the speed limit is 65 miles per hour; at the end of the route, they will exit off of the road and transfer their freight to a truck with a driver for local delivery. If this goes well, the routes will expand into other states; Louisiana is a good candidate for driverless trucks because of its flat terrain and because most of the state rarely experiences freezing weather conditions.
A huge truck left to its own devices on a highway full of cars is not as scary as it sounds. Consider that most truck accidents are due to human error. Computers do not get hangry, impatient, drowsy, or drunk. In fact, in the extensive tests already done with driverless trucks in traffic, there have been only about 20 accidents, and almost all of them have involved the driver of a car rear-ending a driverless truck.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Car Accident Cases
A car accident lawyer can help you if you have been injured in a car accident where your car collided with a driverless vehicle. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana to set up a consultation about your case.