In October, a trucking company by the name of Otto made a 120-mile beer delivery. Seems mundane enough, right? Here’s the thing, though – there was nobody behind the wheel of their truck.
The drive was a success, sure. But it was also done in complete violation of Nevada Law, and without even a hint of regard for road safety. The firm and everyone else on the road during that run got extremely lucky.
It could have gone a lot worse.
See, self-driving cars and trucks are a really neat idea on paper. But the problem is that they aren’t anywhere near ready for real roads yet. Sure, Google may have recently gone to market with theirs – but they’re also one of the most financially powerful and innovative companies in the world.
And even then, their car might not necessarily be ready to hit busy city streets.
“Self-driving cars are absolutely not ready for widespread deployment,” says Duke University Robotics Director Missy Cummings. “The cars aren’t yet able to handle bad weather, including standing water, drizzling rain, sudden downpours and snow. While I am enthusiastic about the research into self-driving cars, I am decidedly less optimistic about what I perceive to be a rush to field systems that are absolutely not ready for widespread deployment, and certainly not ready for humans to be completely taken out of the driver’s seat.”
These are consumer vehicles we’re talking about here, mind you. A transport truck weighs significantly more, and has a significantly greater chance of causing grievous harm if its automated systems should run into trouble. Otto’s decision to run this delivery was not only irresponsible, it was outright dangerous.
It is worrying that others might follow suit.
I should make it clear – I am not at all opposed to self-driving trucks. Once the technology has been properly and thoroughly tested, they could make the roads safer than ever before. At the same time, we have not reached that point yet.
To assume otherwise is to flirt with catastrophe. The lesson here, then, is clear. We all need to be more cognizant of what’s going on on the road – because that massive machine rumbling along next to us may have no one behind the wheel.
And if you or a loved one winds up injured by a trucking firm – regardless of whether or not there’s a driver in the truck that hit you – Bormaster Law can help. We’ve a long history of dealing with corruption in the trucking industry, and we won’t allow a careless or unscrupulous firm to get away with causing you such grievous harm.
Contact us today for a free consultation, and take back your life.