Who are you going to sue after a driverless-car accident? Who’s going to pay?
March 2, 2017
Will there be – as one expert predicts – ‘a shift in blame for a crash from the at-fault driver to the automotive industry and … manufacturers and software developers who design and update [driverless] car computers’? Driverless cars will one day do wonders to save lives. That’s why I’ve been such an outspoken proponent […]
Michigan driverless car law gets green light by Gov. Snyder
December 10, 2016
New historic law will allow autonomous vehicles to be road-tested without a human being present Driverless cars will, without a doubt, drive us all into a future where drastically fewer car accidents occur: “Automated vehicles have the potential to save thousands of lives …” – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx “[T]he Department of Transportation has […]
Michigan lawmakers approve Uber, Lyft laws
December 9, 2016
House Bills 4637, 4639 and 4640 set liability limits for on-duty, ‘transportation network company’ drivers with and without passengers; No Fault benefits for passengers; coverage exclusions; bills go to Governor We know that app-based ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft have been doing business here in Michigan for a while. However, what we haven’t known […]
Should driverless car manufacturers be liable for auto accidents caused by their autonomous vehicles?
November 18, 2016
Volvo says ‘yes.’ The U.S. DOT acknowledges it’s worth considering. So why did Michigan lawmakers steer clear of the issue in our driverless car bills (SB 995-997)? Yesterday, I talked about Michigan’s driverless car legislation and how it fell short of the “Federal Automated Vehicles Policy,” which says manufacturers who want to road-test their self-driving […]
Why isn’t Michigan following Feds’ lead on driverless cars with SB 995?
November 17, 2016
U.S. DOT’s ‘Federal Automated Vehicles Policy’ urges $5 million in liability insurance coverage for road-testing self-driving cars, determining manufacturer liability for car accidents. Yet, neither issue addressed in MI Senate Bills 995-997 I’m 100% in support of the driverless car legislation that’s on its way to Gov. Rick Snyder for his consideration. It’s an important […]
Proposed laws on Michigan driverless cars entering the “passing lane”
November 11, 2016
Concurred Senate Bills 995-997 cruise through Legislature and are bound for Governor’s desk; update rules for road-testing self-driving cars; allow manufacturers of driverless cars to operate Uber-type businesses with autonomous vehicles A world without car accidents – or at least a world without nearly as many – is one step closer. With overwhelming support in […]
How will new federal policy on autonomous vehicles and driverless cars affect the states?
September 22, 2016
Will states take cue from Fed ‘Model State Policy,’ which includes $5 million in insurance coverage for crashes and for road testing as part of U.S. DOT’s ‘Federal Automated Vehicles Policy’ Yesterday, I wrote about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new “Federal Automated Vehicles Policy,” the policy’s 15-point safety assessment for driverless-car manufacturers and the […]
Breaking news – Feds give green light for driverless car technology
September 21, 2016
U.S. DOT’s “Federal Automated Vehicles Policy” shows a commitment to self-driving technology that has ‘potential to save thousands of lives’ from automobile accidents; 15-point safety assessment for manufacturers of ‘highly automated vehicles’ (HAVs) It’s now official: The Federal Government is 100% behind the development and deployment of driverless cars, which have the potential to prevent […]
Will the Michigan House get ‘behind the wheel’ of pending driverless-car legislation?
September 8, 2016
What happens next, as the MI Senate unanimously approved bills that provide open roads to autonomous, self-driving motor vehicles? In a unanimous 36-0 vote, the Michigan Senate approved “autonomous vehicle” legislation – Senate Bills 995-998 – which will, in the words of the bill-package’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Kowell (R-White Lake): Keep Michigan “competitive with the rest of the […]
Tesla’s driving us all toward a future without car accidents
August 23, 2016
‘Tesla on Autopilot’ is an important step toward preventing ‘19 of every 20 crashes on the road’ It’s not going to happen overnight. The process of abandoning how we’ve driven cars for more than 100 years and let go of the wheel, open up an e-book and trust that our computer-controlled, driverless, self-driving car […]
Guidance from DOT on ‘safe’ deployment and operation of ‘fully autonomous vehicles’ is coming soon
July 26, 2016
NHTSA Administrator predicts automated driverless vehicles ‘could potentially prevent or mitigate 19 of every 20 crashes on the road’ Highly anticipated “automated vehicle guidance” from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “will issue soon,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind in a July 20, 2016, speech. I’ve long recognized […]
Fatal Tesla Self-Driving Car Crash Should Not Be End Of The Road For Driverless Cars
July 8, 2016
The question should not be whether driverless cars will be perfect. The question is will driverless cars be better – and safer – than humans? Hint: they will. Let’s talk about the recent fatality involving a Tesla Model S that was operating on auto pilot mode. The instant this occurred, many people were calling for […]