Driverless vehicle strikes, kills pedestrian

Proponents of self-driving technology say that it will revolutionize transportation. Driverless vehicles will consume less fuel and spew less pollution into the air. Proponents also say we will reduce traffic congestion, and perhaps best of all, dramatically reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities.

Those claims are all being put to the test after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a self-driving car. The Arizona woman’s death is the first fatality involving a fully autonomous vehicle; a car without a person at the controls.

Across the nation, people are wondering how lawmakers, the public and the industry will respond to the tragedy involving an Uber Technologies Inc car.

Uber and Waymo (a Google company) had recently urged U.S. senators to approve legislation that would ease regulation of self-driving vehicles. The two technology companies are among a number of tech firms and automakers racing to bring driverless vehicles to America’s streets.

Critics have warned that there will be crashes, injuries and deaths involving fully autonomous vehicles, but those concerns are often pushed aside by advocates promising fewer accidents.

A former chairperson of the National Transportation Safety Board urged people not to overreact to the news of the woman’s death. “This is going to be a unfortunate obstacle that we are going to have to deal with to regain (the public’s) belief that these devices are safe,” he said.

No one knows what the future of driverless technology holds. We do know that today, far too many people are injured in crashes caused by distracted or impaired drivers.

A law firm devoted to protecting the rights and interests of accident injury victims can help you pursue justice and compensation for all damages.