Practice Implications for the Rise of Automated Vehicles
By Jeffrey K. Gurney Automated vehicles will likely be the definitive disruptive technology of the 21 st century—in some ways, like the automobile was in the 20 th century. Young lawyers today will likely experience the introduction and proliferation of highly automated vehicles. In this blog post, I briefly introduce these disruptions and provide some advice on how to prepare for them. Motor Vehicle Crashes There are two principal implications for the legal community with respect to vehicle crashes in an automated vehicle world. First, there are likely going to be fewer automobile crashes than there are today. Second, the types of claims asserted when these crashes do occur may differ than the types of claims asserted now. Vehicle automation should mean fewer vehicle crashes. In 2015, there were a total of 6,296,000 motor vehicle crashes in the United States. Of th...