Car crashes are a leading source of severe injury and death in the United States. Every year, tens of thousands of people lose their lives in collisions and millions of people sustain injuries. As technology improves, so does transportation safety.
In recent years, researchers have begun to focus on the use of smart technology and artificial intelligence (AI) as tools to improve overall traffic safety. How can smart technology alter crash risk, and what impact can improvements to technological systems have on compensation claims?
How AI and smart technology help
The vehicles that people drive now often have systems integrated that can overcome some of the basic limits created by the vehicles themselves. Newer vehicles often have blind spot warning systems that can notify drivers if there is a pedestrian nearby who isn’t readily visible. Smart technology can also alert drivers when they veer out of their lane or dangerously exceed the speed limit.
There are even vehicles that have self-driving software that can take over the basic operation of the vehicle. Such systems can help reduce the impact of operator error, which is one of the top causes of motor vehicle collisions.
AI could theoretically help as well. AI could provide crash analysis that may offer greater insight into the trends in modern vehicle collisions. AI systems in vehicles could potentially help identify and alert drivers to safety hazards that they might overlook.
What does technology mean for crash compensation claims?
Currently, drivers are almost always personally responsible if they cause collisions. Even if there are issues with integrated systems in their vehicles, drivers have a responsibility to maintain control over the vehicle and respond appropriately to changing traffic circumstances. A defect needs to be serious to create liability for the manufacturer.
Those who engage autonomous or self-driving systems in their vehicles, for example, are still liable crashes occur while they use those systems. However, that may eventually change. As smart safety features and AI systems become more common in vehicles, some of the liability for crashes may eventually pass to motor vehicle manufacturers.
In scenarios where those systems malfunction, manufacturers may ultimately have a degree of responsibility for crashes that occur. In scenarios where defective safety systems or inappropriate vehicle software contributed to a crash, both the driver and the vehicle manufacturer may have a degree of responsibility for the wreck.
Understanding how changing technology, traffic laws and safety standards affect the rights of those involved in motor vehicle collisions is important for anyone involved in a wreck. Holding both drivers and vehicle manufacturers accountable may result in appropriate compensation after a devastating collision.