Google Car Crash: Who’s to Blame When a Driverless Car Has an Accident? (PART 1) Luckily no one was injured when one of Google’s self-driving cars recently crashed itself into a bus as it pulled out at a junction. The car was only travelling at 2mph, after all. The company has admitted it bore “some responsibility ” for the accident because the test driver (and presumably the car) thought the bus would slow down to allow the car to pull out. Google has now redesigned its algorithms to account for this, but the incident raises the key question of just who is responsible in the eyes of the law for accidents caused by driverless cars. Is it the car’s owner, its manufacturer or the software maker? Who would be taken to court if charges were brought? And whose insurance company would have to pay for the damage? Most modern cars have some technology that operates without human intervention, from air bags and anti-lock brakes to cruise control, collision avoidance and even self-parking. But very few cars have full autonomy in the sense that they make their own decisions. A human driver is usually still in control – although this assumption is increasingly difficult to maintain as advanced driver assistance technologies, such as electronic stability controls, enable drivers to retain control of the vehicle when otherwise they might not . Answer the following questions: 1. Who agreed to accept some responsibility for the accident? (a) Google (b) the bus company (c) the test driver 2. The accident occurred because: (a) the self-driving car was going too slow (b) the car didn’t slow down when the bus pulled out (c) the bus didn’t slow down when the car pulled out 3. What has Google done in response to this accident? (a) It now uses a different car manufacturer for its driverless cars (b) It has redesigned the software for its driverless cars (c) It has told the bus driver’s insurance company to pay for the damage 4. Legally, who must accept the responsibility for accidents involving driverless cars? (a) The owner of the car (b) The manufacturer or the software maker (c) This question is not answered in the text 5. What are most modern cars NOT able to do? (a) Activate the air bags in an accident (b) Make their own decisions without human intervention (c) Avoid collisions