Driverless cars, particularly those operated by GM-owned Cruise and Alphabet-owned Waymo, have faced increased scrutiny following a series of high-profile accidents. Cruise has been banned from operating its autonomous vehicles in California and faces a federal investigation, while Waymo insists its vehicles are 6.7 times less likely to be involved in injury-causing crashes. Despite the controversies, both companies maintain that their driverless cars are safer than human drivers.
Key takeaways:
- Due to a loophole in California law, police are unable to issue traffic tickets to driverless cars for moving violations such as speeding.
- This loophole does not apply to parking fines, which autonomous vehicles can still receive.
- Unlike California, Texas and Arizona have passed laws holding companies who operate autonomous vehicles responsible for any driving infractions.
- Driverless cars, particularly those operated by Cruise and Waymo, have faced increased scrutiny following a series of high-profile accidents and incidents.