Image credit – Brian Williams/SpiedBilde
If there ever was a reason why self-driving cars have yet to become mainstream and commercialized (aside from the technology still being worked on), it is because there are rules and laws that need to be tweaked and added in order to make them fit in a society where self-driving cars are the norm.
Take for example what happens when a self-driving car gets into an accident? Are the people in the car to blame? Or is it the manufacturer? That’s something that needs to be figured out, but in the meantime it seems that manufacturers will be taking the brunt of the blame, as GM is finding out after being served with a lawsuit over an accident involving a motorcycle and one of its self-driving cars.
Motorcyclists Oscar Nilsson has filed a lawsuit against the carmaker after an accident involving GM’s self-driving Chevy Bolts. Nilsson claims to have been following the Bolt from behind when it started to change lanes. He then tried to overtake the car, which is when he alleges that the car suddenly swerved back into his lane, knocking him onto the ground where he injured his neck and shoulder in the process.
Unsurprisingly GM disagrees with Nilsson’s allegations, claiming that Nilsson had merged into the Bolt’s lane “before it was safe to do so.” It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out, especially since its ruling will most likely help set the groundwork and precedent involving future such cases.
Filed in . Read more about Gm, Legal and Self-Driving Cars.