While many Oklahoma motorists might be looking forward to the day when all of the vehicles on the roads are driverless, that time may not come as quickly as some experts predict. Multiple factors may interplay to prolong the widespread availability of self-driving cars, and the personal preferences of consumers may also make their adoption of these vehicles slower than anticipated.
In order for driverless cars to be released for sale through mass production, safety regulators and legislators will first need to determine how these vehicles will be governed by the traffic laws and regulations of the state and federal governments. The process of passing laws and enacting regulations can take years, slowing down the process. Tricky issues of liability will also need to be determined. For example, questions of who to hold liable for an accident that is caused by a self-driving vehicle will need to be answered.
Other factors that might delay the widespread use of self-driving cars are the personal preferences of consumers. In general, consumers are only willing to pay additional amounts for technology up to certain limits. If the sticker prices of autonomous vehicles are much higher than those of traditional cars, consumers may be slow to purchase them. This has been demonstrated by electric vehicles. Consumers have been less willing to purchase them because of their prices being higher than was predicted by experts.
Despite the potential delays, autonomous cars will likely be sharing the roads with traditional vehicles in the future. When that happens, car accidents are bound to happen. Personal injury attorneys may help to iron out liability issues in order to help their injured clients recover damages.