[blindlaw] A different view of Driverless cars

[Daniel McBride]

Bill:

Thanks for your clarification.

Dan McBride

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bill Reif
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 7:08 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] A different view of Driverless cars

Hello Dan,

I know liability will remain with the vehicle manufacturer, just as is the
case now where defects in conventional vehicles are alleged to have
contributed to accidents, and didn't intend to assert otherwise. So long as
whoever is in the front seat of an autonomous vehicle has some power to
intervene, lawyers will allege that their failure to do so creates liability
with the operator as well unless that person had no power to influence the
car. In the case of the blind, it will be argued that the person should
never have put him/herself in that situation. That might be a valid argument
if the vehicle includes no technology that would have provided situational
awareness information.

Cordially,
Bill

On 8/23/2013 11:47 AM, Daniel McBride wrote:
> Bill:
>
> Unless specific legislation was passed to exempt manufacturers of a 
> driverless vehicle from liability in personal injury/wrongful death 
> cases, products liability issues are going to be a concern of the 
> potential manufacturers.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bill 
> Reif
> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 9:54 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] A different view of Driverless cars
>
> This debate validates the time and money the NFB has put into the 
> blind-drivable vehicle. Even if that vehicle is displaced by the 
> driverless car and never gains significant distribution, its 
> successful operation demonstrates that we can monitor and, if 
> necessary, intervene in its operation. Without that demonstration, we 
> would find it harder to challenge the belief that we are as powerless 
> as inanimate cargo. As driverless cars continue to evolve, we should 
> work with developers to interface some of the blind-drivable 
> technology in those a blind person may operate. Until that happens or 
> until the driverless car is perfected, I would no more want to ride in one
than a sighted person would sit in a car with no controls.
>
> In terms of legal issues: I can't imagine that a car's being "driverless"
> shifts liability away from whoever's behind the wheel.
>
> Cordially,
> Bill
>
> On 8/19/2013 6:29 PM, Ross Doerr wrote:
>> About two weeks ago on this list I posted some material about 
>> Google's driverless car along with some legal and ethical questions 
>> that go "along for the ride" as it were.
>> Lest  we think that Google is the sole company putting a car like 
>> this out there in testing, read the following article about its
competition at:
>> 	
>> http://www.wbur.org/npr/212683617/hitting-the-road-without-a-driver?f
>> t
>> =3&f=2
>> 12683617
>> Note two things in this article that I, as well as many others on the 
>> list have verbalized.
>> The manufacturers of this car are also concerned about the car and 
>> its automation being accepted by the general public as well as them 
>> waiting for the legal profession and insurance industry to catch up 
>> with
> them.
>> This car has a "big red button"  in the middle of the dashboard 
>> which, when activated, disconnects the automatics operating the car. 
>> This is not surprising.
>>    My point is that the legal and insurance issues for driverless 
>> cars are now being outlined and debated, and we are not a part of 
>> this debate. Debating those issues on this list is one thing, but we 
>> are not
> the decision makers.
>> We need to be a part of the debate at the discussion level so that 
>> policy can be shaped in such a way that we are not excluded at the
outset.
>> That is a statement that is very easily said, and not so easily done.
>> Ross A. Doerr, Attorney at law
>> Augusta, Maine
>>
>>    
>>
>>
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