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Driverless cars and no-fault injury: Where does future lie

With the speed at which technology is transforming the world, it comes as no surprise that the future of cars is driverless. With the likes of Google and Volvo releasing driverless vehicles, the future of transport looks bright.

However, a recent case involving a driverless vehicle has caused many to think about the ramifications of this new technology and the current approach to seeking car accident compensation.

A Tesla driverless vehicle leads to death

The US is known for its technological innovation. However, a recent incident has caused many to doubt the safety of new driverless tech.

US regulators are looking into the death of a driver using the autopilot feature of a Tesla Model S. As it is the first death of its kind, it has raised a number of ethical dilemmas and legal challenges to self-driving. 

Speaking to Bloomberg, the President for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Jackie Gillan said that this could happen again and again. 

"Allowing automakers to do their own testing, with no specific guidelines, means consumers are going to be the guinea pigs in this experiment," she said. 

The death is warning sign for many. However, what does self-driving mean for people who have been injured when there is no negligent party?

No fault injury in New South Wales

In New South Wales, when a person is injured in a car accident and there is no negligent party, this may be a 'blameless' accident. In most cases, these include instances where:

  • a driver suffers a sudden illness, such as a stroke
  • a vehicle that has an unexplained mechanical problem, such as a tyre puncture

However, there are limits to this. If a person is injured as a result of their own sudden illness or vehicle problems, they may not be able to claim. 

In terms of self-driving, a person may be able to make a claim if they were injured in self-driving car due to the technology, however, this is not guaranteed. If the technology becomes more popular in the future, legislation may change to ensure that people are better protected in the case of injury.

If you would like to know more about blameless injuries and how you can make a claim, it is important to talk to the experts in the field of car accident compensation. Contact a car accident lawyer at Gerard Malouf and Partners and find out about their no win no fee guarantee. 

About Us
Gerard Malouf & Partners have provided friendly, experienced legal advice to communities across Australia for over 35 years. Our Personal Injury Lawyers have taken on ten’s of thousands of cases and we are proud to have won billions of dollars for our clients.
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Meet the diverse and dynamic team of compensation lawyers and supporting staff that have made this all happen below. Our multi-lingual team can discuss your claims in Arabic, Assyrian, Turkish, Greek, Italian, French, Serbian, Croatian, Armenian, Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi or Malayalam.
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Meet the diverse and dynamic team of compensation lawyers and supporting staff that have made this all happen below. Our multi-lingual team can discuss your claims in Arabic, Assyrian, Turkish, Greek, Italian, French, Serbian, Croatian, Armenian, Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi or Malayalam.

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