According to federal semi-truck crash statistics, most wrecks are the result of bad choices made by motorists in traffic. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that approximately 87% of the collisions caused by commercial vehicles are the fault of the driver in some way.
Therefore, it makes sense to assume that eliminating driver error could drastically reduce the number of semi-truck collisions that occur every year. People in other vehicles are at significant risk of crashes involving 18-wheelers. Pedestrians could also experience life-altering or fatal injuries as a result of crashes involving semi-trucks.
Does the advent of self-driving semi-trucks promise a reduction in pedestrian crashes caused by commercial vehicles?
Autonomous vehicles are brand-new technology
For many years now, safety experts have pointed to autonomous or self-driving vehicles as the next leap forward in traffic safety. A self-driving vehicle eliminates the possibility of a driver causing a crash due to distraction, intoxication or fatigue.
In theory, self-driving semi-trucks can operate for hours without the risk of the driver falling asleep. They can consistently follow all traffic regulations, while drivers may bend or break the rules for efficiency or convenience. Multiple self-driving semi trucks are about to start operating in Texas as a way of testing this concept. Unfortunately, early issues with self-driving passenger vehicles raise concerns about the safety of self-driving semi-trucks.
Small oversights when programming autonomous vehicles can lead to tragic outcomes. Additionally, the cameras and sensors used for self-driving semi-trucks may not be able to spot all pedestrians near the road. In a scenario where there is a pedestrian nearby, the ability of a driver to make a quick judgment could be the difference between life and death for that pedestrian.
Autonomous vehicles might eventually be a safe and reliable means of transportation, but they are likely to new to have a profound positive impact on traffic safety at this time. Those who encounter self-driving vehicles and end up injured by them may face a complex claims process. The same is generally true of anyone who requires compensation after a collision caused by a commercial vehicle. Holding commercial transportation companies accountable may be the most effective way for other people in traffic to offset the inherent risk that comes from sharing the road with bigger vehicles.
