Ever since autonomous vehicles began to hit the public market, fears and concerns about the actual “safety” of their self-driving features were present. Just how safe can a vehicle be while in autonomous mode? A string of accidents caused by Tesla self-driving vehicles that have littered the news throughout the last few years suggests the answer might be: “Not that safe at all.”
In response to the apparent dangers of Tesla cars in autonomous mode, six Tesla owners from around the country filed a collective lawsuit against the automaker. Within the claim, the small group of plaintiffs claimed they had paid extra for a nonfunctioning self-driving feature that had been advertised as a smart “Autopilot” mode. The bottom line of the plaintiff case was Tesla Autopilot technology is currently too unreliable and unpredictable for safe use, endangering both the driver and others on the road whenever it is engaged.
In a surprising twist, Tesla agreed to settle the case for $5 million dollars. As a leading automaker with roots in a massive corporation, it is unusual for Tesla to back down at all when accused of selling a faulty product. However, the settlement is more significant in that it suggests an admission of Autopilot dangers. If the company truly believed its self-driving vehicles were safe and ready for regular use, then it goes to assume that they would not have settled, but instead fought the plaintiffs through trials and appeals. Although, it should be noted that Tesla did not directly admit to any faults in their Autopilot systems and merely noted that updates to the systems were being worked on all the time.
Filing Self-Driving Accident Claims
The implications of the settlement can now be extended to other autonomous vehicle accident claims. When someone is hurt in a car accident caused by a Tesla in Autopilot mode, any subsequent personal injury claim should be able to point towards the Tesla $5 million settlement as an admission of technology unreliability. Depending on whether or not there is an influx of lawsuits, it is feasible that Tesla halts manufacturing of its self-driving vehicles until the technology is improved beyond a doubt.
Have you been hurt in a crash caused by your self-driving Tesla? It is time to see if you have a valid claim to compensation from the automaker by calling 310.896.4345 and speaking with a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer from Biren Law Group. Our team has been pursuing justice on behalf of the wrongfully injured for more than 40 years, resulting in multiple multi-million dollar case results against some of the toughest oppositions. If you want to begin your case with a no-risk consultation, fill out an online contact form today.