The Safety of a Self-driving Car

With the rise of technology dedicated to self-driving cars, people are asking the question "how safe are driverless cars compare to a traditional car?" First of all, to drive a self-driving car functioning by a computer or robot, the driver has to learn to control the functions. In 2011, a Google self-driving car was involved in an accident, and Google stated to the press that the driver was responsible for the driving. However, many critics became to question whether the technology behind the self-driving car are responsible for the accident. In the recent years, self-driving cars are tested on the road in several different states, and for the last years or so, Google had tested more than “700,000 miles” of accident-free driving from a driverless car. With self-driving cars, what are the obligations the operator have to make? If companies like Google, were to sell hundreds of thousands of these cars on the road, are they able to keep up the safety standard in a large number? The technology will also force regulators to rethink the car and driver relationship, and possibly place more emphasis on the regulation both the car and the driver. For instance, instead of certifying that a driver can pass a road test, the state might certify that a car can pass a test, upending the traditional drivers’ licensing system. In addition, the state of mind when you are for example, drunk, are you allow to operate a self-driving car? Due to the promising technology that exceeds the assurance of a traditional car, self-driving cars shows greater potential in benefits than drawbacks, that many are worrying about.

"The Road to Self-Driving Cars | Crash Avoidance Systems - Consumer Reports." Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports Network, Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

The article above discussed the current crash-avoidance systems that are