How Can a Vehicle’s Technology Increase a Driver’s Risk?

In the mid 2010s, experts predicted that driverless cars would dominate the roads by 2025. Now, these same experts say the first Level 5 fully-automated vehicles (FAVs) won’t be available until at least 2035, and they may not be common until after the middle of this century, or even later. A report from the California Department of Motor Vehicle revealed that 612 autonomous vehicle collisions have been recorded in the Golden State. This may be a reason why people reach out to self-driving car accident attorneys to protect their rights.

This technology has been slow to emerge, mostly because of high inflation and global uncertainty. FAV production costs have moved from high to astronomically high. Meanwhile, wars in Ukraine and now Israel have many people wondering what will come next.

Widespread FAV technology may be a pipe dream for now, but other technologically advanced cars are available at a dealer near you. Manufacturers promise this technology will make life better, but in many cases, it makes life worse.

When that happens, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer obtains the justice and compensation these families deserve and need. Justice means holding tortfeasors (negligent actors) responsible for the mistakes they make. Compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Exploring New Vehicle Technologies

We are already on the road to FAVs (no pun intended). Some manufacturers are already testing some FAVs, mostly in dense, urban areas like San Francisco and New York City. Additionally, one company, Aurora, is testing driverless large trucks in California and Texas.

Once fully developed, FAV technology may be much bigger than air conditioning, personal computers, and other late 20th Century inventions. These vehicles, which minimize or eliminate the need for a human driver.

Driver error currently causes 98 percent of the vehicle collisions in California. Therefore, a world full of FAVs would be a world without car crashes and, for good or bad, without Los Angeles car accident lawyers.

The race to fully develop this technology and be the first kid on the block to offer an FAV for sale raises substantial safety concerns. 

Autonomous systems rely heavily on software, which are prone to glitches and hacking, potentially leading to unforeseen accidents. Moreover, the technology sometimes struggles to interpret complex road scenarios that a human driver could more easily navigate, sometimes resulting in collisions.

These concerns are real. Hackers are anxious to break into online accounts and cause havoc. The next level could be much worse. Furthermore, eleven people died during limited FAV testing in 2022.

Connected Car Technology

Connected car technology is an under-the radar innovation that was recently introduced to the automotive industry. 

This technology allows vehicles to communicate with each other and includes infrastructure to enhance safety and traffic flow. This Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication promises to reduce traffic congestion and potentially prevent accidents by providing real-time updates to drivers or autonomous systems. 

However, connected cars, like FAVs, are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. A person could easily hack into a car’s computer and take control of it. Imagine the horror that drivers, and other people on the road would experience if their vehicles suddenly went wild.

Electrification Technology

Electrification is another emerging technology that, mostly due to high cost, has been slow to catch on. Eventually, electric vehicles could well revolutionize the auto industry by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Electric vehicles (EVs), equipped with large batteries and electric propulsion, bring new safety concerns. The batteries can, in some cases, pose fire risks, especially in the event of an accident. Moreover, the silent operation of EVs can be a safety hazard for pedestrians and cyclists, who traditionally rely on auditory cues to gauge the proximity of vehicles.

A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer holds manufacturers responsible when they make and sell defective batteries and other defective products. Attorneys also stand up for non-motorist crash victims, like pedestrians and cyclists.

Other New Vehicle Technologies

Apart from these technologies, the incorporation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) like lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking have brought significant changes to a person’s driving experience. 

Other cars, which are already on the road today, have autopilot features which resemble advanced cruise control.

While these systems are designed to enhance safety, drivers over-relay on them. This over-reliance encourages drivers to engage in distracted driving, assuming the system will compensate for their lack of attention. This false sense of security can potentially lead to more accidents, as these systems are not foolproof and still require a driver’s constant attention.

In addition to over-reliance, some of these added safety systems actually create additional hazards when they deploy, including the activation of emergency braking misreading cues, and creating a rear-end accident when the driver was fully in control of the situation.

Consult Our Experienced California Personal Injury Lawyers!

The brave new world might not be a safe new world. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We are here to stand up for victims today and tomorrow.