Car Accidents, Personal Injury Questions Archives

Google’s Self Driving Cars Hitting Austin’s Roads

Have you ever seen a driverless (or self-driving) car?  It may sound crazy, but they exist and may soon be driving all over the country.  Presently, they are only located in a few target areas and are still in the testing phase.  One of the main companies working on this technology is Google. Google has chosen Austin, TX to be it’s first test market outside of California.

Until now, all of its cars were operating within California, with most located around Mountain View, a city in the Silicon Valley region of Northern California. Austin, known for being a hotbed of technology and innovation, is truly privileged to have Google’s vehicles being driven on its roads.  But having these cars on our roads also comes with a unique set of risks and complications in regard to motor vehicle collisions.

The car Google is using is a Lexus RX450h sport-utility vehicle that is outfitted with Google’s self driving technology. Testing the cars on Austin’s roads is only natural for Google, as they not only have offices in the capital of Texas, but also have started building “Google Fiberhoods” in many of Austin’s neighborhoods. The city is also laid out in a manner that makes it ideal for autonomous cars.

There are plans to add another type of vehicle to the fleet of self-driving cars in Austin. Right now, the Lexus vehicle is operating “a few square miles north and northeast” of Downtown Austin.

Texas currently has not specific legislation regarding self-driving cars. This may be an issue because Google’s self-driving cars, unfortunately, have already been involved in at least 12 accidents in California.

You may be asking yourself, who is responsible should one cause an accident?  That is a great question.  The answer is actually quite simple.  If a self-driving car causes a collision, the owner (or Google) would be responsible.  If you were injured as a result of that collision, Google would also be responsible for compensating you for your injuries.

A capable Austin Car Accident Attorney will be able to answer any additional legal questions you may have if you are unfortunate enough to experience a run in with one of these self-driving cars.

If you’ve been involved in any car accident in and around Austin (including those caused by self-driving vehicles), contact the personal injury attorneys at Terry & Kelly, PLLC for assistance. Call 512-910-2000 to arrange a free consultation and case evaluation.