Google Self-Driving Prius Has Its First At Fault Accident
Google has been campaigning its self-driving Toyota Prius for quite some time now, bragging that the machines have logged hundreds of thousands of miles with only one accident – when they got rear-ended at a light. But now history has been written with reports that Google’s Prius caused its first at-fault accident, ironically rear-ending a newer generation Prius. Perhaps Google’s Prius was a little jealous of its newer, hipper, third-generation counterpart?
The accident raises all the important questions of who is really at fault if the vehicle is driving itself. As it stands, whoever is behind the wheel this time around would be at fault and Google is claiming that the accident wasn’t caused by its self-driving technology but rather the driver behind the wheel. It’ll be hard for anyone to ever prove that a human being wasn’t driving the car at the time of the accident, but this is certainly more ammo for all those that are against autonomous cars.
While we know no technology in this world is perfect, Google is hoping that one day their autonomous vehicles will become commonplace in the world. Whether or not it’ll really be safer than human drivers will always be a question and how fault will be determined in an accident remains to be seen.
[Source: Jalopnik]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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