Are U.S Consumers Ready for Driverless Cars?
- Home /
- Are U.S Consumers Ready for Driverless Cars?
As technology continues to flood the lives of Americans some of us are still waiting for hoverboards while others look forward to driverless cars. In 2005 a project by a team at Stanford that included a Google engineer created the first robotic vehicle. From there the Google driverless car became a project that involved developing technology for autonomous cars.
In 2011 Nevada passed a law that permitted the operation of autonomous cars; in 2012 Florida became the second state to allow the testing of such vehicles on public roads and then California the third to legalize the use of self-driven cars for testing purposes.
Although states and Google are pushing for the use of driverless cars, tort law could kill it before consumers get a chance to use them. Since the mid-2000s Toyota has been fighting hundreds of complaints in regards to its vehicles ability to unintentionally accelerate. The company is now moving toward a global settlement of cases.
In October a single case involving a 76 year old driver was settled after Toyota was found at fault for their electronic throttle control. Michael Barr, a software expert who testified in the case that any reasonably complex software has bugs. According to the Wall Street Journal.
Furthermore, since 2002 when Toyota introduced electronic throttle control billions of driving hours have been logged in order to find hundreds of cases against the electronic throttle. It is likely that many manufacturers will not want to risk being hit with lawsuits and will likely steer clear of driverless cars.
Additionally, Google has supposedly racked up more than 500,000 accident-free miles which in no way compares to the billions traversed by Toyota drivers since 2002. However, Google also revealed that in 2011 a human-controlled Google driverless car was involved in a car crash in California and although they stated the vehicle was being driven manually, could a glitch have caused the collision?
It will likely take much more testing and many more vehicular laws for driverless cars to become available to consumers. In the event that you are injured in a collision with a driverless vehicle in Phoenix, contacting a licensed Phoenix personal injury attorney for legal advice may be a step in the right direction.
Free Case Evaluation
By submitting your contact information, you agree that we may contact you by telephone (including text) and email in accordance with our Terms and Privacy Policy

Your message has been sent
Thank you for your message, we will get back to you soon.
-
I just wanted to thank Phillips law Group and Vanessa Rodriguez for all the help that she did for my daughter’s case. She was involved in her first accident and she needed the help to deal with these adjusters. Thank you again.
-
If you are in need of legal support for a motor vehicle collision of any kind, I highly recommend going to Phillips Law Group Injury Lawyers. Sean Davis has exemplary knowledge and experience in this field, compassion for his clients, and excellent judgment and communication skills.
-
Phillips law group is a great firm! Caroline is great.
-
Phillips Law Group provides a collaborative environment in which both attorneys and staff work together to achieve the best outcome for clients. As an attorney here at PLG, I’m lucky to be surrounded by seasoned attorneys and knowledgeable staff that share my enthusiasm for helping accident victims. The team here at PLG treats clients with respect and empathy while fighting hard to get the results they deserve.
-
I enjoy my work day here at Phillips Law Group and generally speaking I love my clients. Every day brings a new client or task to keep me on my toes. Administration keeps open communication and is hilarious most of the time! I love the way we celebrate FRIDAY, holidays and birthdays and how everything is so competitive. All in all I’m so fortunate to be here and I enjoy what I do.
-
It’s an Honor and a Privilege to work for a company that cares about its employees and clients for 12 years. I’ve seen Management go out of their way to help someone whether it’s a personal matter or work related. I am also reminded of many occasions where a Client needed urgent help and we as a Team were able to get the person immediate assistance. At Phillips Law we make that happen through Teamwork and a dedication to our profession. I’ve had numerous jobs in several other fields, those were just jobs. This is a home. Many of us have been here for quite a few years, it feels like one large extended family.
-
Many companies talk about teamwork but few practice it. Many companies talk about an employee friendly environment but few actually provide it. At Phillips Law Group the foundation of our success is making sure we work as a team and that we work in an environment that allows everyone to thrive and be at their best every day. Our firm understands that in order for the client to have a great experience the people responsible for that client’s case must be given all the necessary tools and encouragement to make that happen. That’s the Phillips Way. As a manager of this firm in charge of several employees as well as directly affecting the client’s experience I take tremendous pride in saying we live by these premises and we work hard to build on them and make them better every day. This is an amazing place because it has amazing people working here!
-
Great experience! Took care of pretty much everything, and I always felt like I want in good hands. Caroline Fa. was also a great help with everything. She always returned my calls and I never felt unheard. Even after my case she would still help me with my insurance documents.
-
A friend of mine recommended Phillips Law and I’m so grateful, because they were so wonderful, so down to earth, so professional. I felt like they were family.
-
Liz Gonzales was great!!!!