Autonomous vehicle technology and the future of America’s roads

It appears that the next couple of decades could see big changes to some very fundamental things out on America’s roads. This includes shifts in what exactly is controlling the vehicles that are on them. This is due to autonomous vehicle technology.

A recent study made some predictions regarding the future spread of such technology here in the United States. The study was done by the Boston Consulting Group.

There are already some elements of this technology out on the market, as certain autonomous features have been showing up in newer vehicles. The study predicts that this year will see quite a bit of growth in the prevalence of such partially autonomous vehicles.

Looking further out into the future, the study predicts that the next couple of decades will see vehicles that take control completely out of the hands of human drivers come to have a major presence out on America’s roads. According to the study’s estimates, by the year 2035, fully self-driving cars will make up a quarter of the U.S. auto market.

There are various concerns that come up in connection to such a fundamental shift in vehicle control. Included among these are concerns about what impacts a rise in autonomous vehicle technology will have on traffic safety. It will be interesting to see what steps the government and automakers take to address these safety concerns as autonomous vehicle technology expands in its use here in the United States.

Among the impacts big changes out on the roads can have is that they can affect what sorts of legal issues are present in relation to auto accidents. So, the developments in self-driving car technology could also lead to big legal developments in the field of personal injury law.

Whether their case involves cutting edge legal issues or more traditional ones, it can be important for a Nebraska traffic crash victim to have skilled legal representation when tackling the issues. What ends up happening with such issues can have significant compensation-related impacts for an accident victim.

Source: International Business Times, “Are Self-Driving Cars Safe? One In Four Cars On U.S. Roads In 2035 Will Be Self-Driven, Study Says,” Rishabh Jain, April 11, 2017