Technology
The Legal Framework Governing Autonomous Vehicle Liability
Quick fact
In a 2020 legal analysis, scholars suggested that under current product liability law, the maker of an autonomous vehicle's sensor or software could be held strictly liable for a crash, even if the vehicle followed all safety protocols. This is because the car acts as a product that malfunctions.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a car with no driver. If it hits a pedestrian, who is to blame—the owner, the manufacturer, or the software developer? The law is grappling with this very question.