Autonomous cars in accidents during testing

If there is one thing that is certain about the auto industry, self-driving cars are coming. The only questions about these vehicles are when they will be released to the public, and when they will become mainstream. A number of automakers are diligently working on offerings that will enable a driver to use extended autonomous features.

For instance, in a prior post, we highlighted the maiden cross country voyage of an Audi that was scheduled to have a driver stand in for emergencies while the car travelled from California to New York.

While autonomous cars are being ushered in for the future because of their relative safety, there have been a number of self driving cars that have been in accidents. According to a FoxNews.com report, a number of self driving cars have been in accidents. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, there have been four accidents. The department has not commented on the accidents.

Specifically, investigators have not announced whether the accidents were caused by the autonomous systems or by the drivers themselves. The investigation is critically important because of the expectations put on technology may be unrealistic. Essentially, it is expected that self-driving cars will never make mistakes, never exceed the speed limit or drive while distracted, and will never drive while intoxicated. So when a self- driving car is in an accident, the questions will mount as to whether these cars.

It remains to be seen who will be first to introduce a self-driving car; but hopefully the glitches and safety issues will be resolved.