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Autonomous Vehicles Measure Advances Despite Liability Questions

Tysto via wikimedia commons

The Florida House is advancing an autonomous vehicles measure—laying down the rules of the road for driverless cars.  But there are questions about accountability after an accident.

Rep. Jason Fischer (R-Jacksonville) says more than 90 percent of fatal crashes in the U.S. last year were the result of human error, and his autonomous vehicles measure could help save lives.  

But when Rep. Barbara Watson (D-Miami Gardens) asks about liability after a crash things get murky.

“It’s not necessarily a manufacturer’s defect,” Watson explains to Fischer, “because I hear you qualify your answer by using that language.” 

“We can have accidents without being an actual defect—at that point who is liable?”

“I think it depends on the situation,” Fischer replies.

A handful of lawmakers expressed similar reservations, but Watson and every other member on the House panel voted in favor of the measure.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.