You may be riding along the highway, looking out the window at everyone you pass by, but very few of them will ever know the luxurious feel of a self-driving car. The amazing experience self-driving cars can provide makes you wish for an entire future of technological advances.
As technology advances so do the class of people who feel it’s in their power to control technology. We’re not talking about big corporations that own much of the technology we have, we’re talking about the people who find programming flaws in the technology. Here’s what you may want to know:
Hacking is a growing pain
With technology steadily evolving over the last century, hackers have kept pace with current trends in technology. It may seem crazy to believe hackers have existed alongside technology for a century, what matters is that they exist today. Hackers exist at a desk, behind a screen, similar to the way you may be reading this now.
Suddenly losing access to your phone, having a credit card number stolen or having your personal data available to the world are just a few of the ways hackers take advantage of technology. One of the newest ways hackers are taking over people’s lives is by taking control of self-driving cars. A hacked self-driving car could cause you to drive off-road or crash into other cars, causing you and the people around to be seriously injured.
The source of the problem leads to manufacturers
Hackers may not be the responsible party when it comes to pointing the blame for your injuries. Self-driving car manufacturers have to ensure their product is defect-free. Not only does a hacked car show that a product had flaws, but the flaws in the product put people in danger — which may make your injuries the fault of a motor-vehicle manufacturer.
You should know your legal options if a flaw in the technology in a cutting-edge car caused you serious injuries. You may have a right to compensation for your losses.