In the National Journal, Alex Brown reports that “by almost any estimate,” automated cars “will save thousands of lives” but the question of who is to be held responsible if a crash occurs remains. Brown says that litigation risks “could slow the movement of driverless cars to the mass market.” He suggests one option is a “payout fund…to compensate victims of driverless car accidents.” Brown says that subsidies to help the industry launch could include money to seed a payout fund. He concludes that automakers will carry uneven risk of liability lawsuits and says, “some form of straightening that out might make sense.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
