The AV Start Act: A Law That Opens an Avenue for Victims to Sue Self-Driving Truck Manufacturers?

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TEXAS. According to Business Insider, one of the biggest reasons why self-driving trucks aren’t on the road has less to do with the effectiveness of the technology and more to do with the fact that liability laws haven’t been properly adapted to take into account the new technology. This claim might be a bit of an overstatement. The truth is that self-driving technology is still being tested and there remain several situations where self-driving technology requires human oversight. The full picture is one where regulation remains patchy and where the technology requires more testing and development.

Personal injury lawyers are in a kind of wild west when it comes to injuries related to self-driving accidents. There are no precedents in place clarifying who would be responsible in the event of an accident involving a self-driving truck and the law doesn’t make clear where liabilities lie when self-driving accidents take place. While the truck accident lawyers at the Cooper Law Firm are closely watching developments in Texas involving self-driving technology, the technology remains new and there have been few injuries and deaths involving this technology. When deaths do occur, settlements appear to take place privately between companies and victims’ families.

One of the issues involving self-driving trucks involves the fact that long-haul truck drivers cross state lines. Congress has proposed a bill that would clarify federal rules regarding long-haul trucks and autonomous vehicle safety. This might offer some clarity for personal injury lawyers looking to understand how personal injury claims or class action claims might be pursued when self-driving trucks are involved. However, there are no laws that offer specific protections to the general public when it comes to self-driving technology and the concern is that companies might try to influence legislation to limit their liability.

Most industry experts see self-driving trucks as the wave of the future, capable of replacing as many as 1.8 million trucks currently on the road. While fully-autonomous shipping is likely many years away, one of the bigger issues that the industry is wrestling with is how self-driving trucks would be regulated and how liability issues will be handled.

In a truck accident involving a human driver, victims have the right to pursue damages from the truck driver and the truck company for which the driver worked. But, in the event of an accident involving a self-driving truck, who would be responsible? Would it be the vehicle manufacturer? Would it be the truck company that purchased the vehicle? Currently, it might be difficult for victims to sue truck manufacturers if something goes wrong.

If you’ve been in a truck accident in Texas, human error might have played a role in your crash. In the future, computer error or manufacturing errors might play a role.

As the laws currently stand, you may only have a limited amount of time to make a claim against a truck driver, insurance company, or truck company if you’ve been hurt in a crash in Texas. The Cooper Law Firm are truck accident attorneys in Texas who work with victims and their families to help them seek the recoveries they may deserve under the law. If you’ve been hurt, reach out to our law firm today to learn more about your rights and options.

Cooper Law Firm
501 N Third St,
Longview, TX 75601
Telephone: (903) 297-0037

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