Despite my unwillingness to submit to the idea of driverless vehicles, that day may come.  People do make mistakes. Distracted by their troubles, texting while driving, thinking about a problem at work, thinking about a problem at home. Wondering about their retirement plan, concerned about the election. All these are but a few of the many things that distract drivers.

Getting a motorcycle was the best thing that happened to my car driving. On a motorcycle, I could not afford to do anything but be totally aware of my surroundings. A car coming into my lane could mean death. A dog running out in front of me could mean death to me, besides the dog. Not being totally aware of a light turning red could me the end of my life, not just a hassle with the damages and insurance rates going up.

If it not my fault, at least my insurance rates won’t go up. But who is to be held at fault if the driverless car errs? Who will be held responsible? The coders? The company? With all the variables that go into accident investigations, how could we make that determination in a driverless situation. Video does not always tell the full story.

But here comes Waymo,  Alpabet’s entry into the driverless world.  Read about it here.