Driverless cars are here, and in the near future, it looks like we’ll see more of them plying our roads. But what about driverless trucks? It stands to reason that anyone would want to replace someone who’s prone to road rage, drunk driving, and fatigue. But how does the idea of having a robot drive an 18-wheeler carrying several tons of cargo at full speed sound?
This is exactly what a San Francisco-based startup is working on—driverless rigs. And they may be just a few years away. Otto, a company founded by former Google employees, is looking to install software, lasers, cameras, and sensor on trucks allowing them to ply the more than 200,000 miles of highways in the United States on their own, allowing the driver to nap or handle other trucking tasks.
Self-driving heavy trucks would solve a number of problems. For starters, it would address the ongoing shortage of truck drivers, as older drivers hit retirement and fewer younger people are willing to replace them. But most importantly, self-driving rigs reduce costs and dramatically improve safety. With more than 4,000 trucking accidents each year in the United States, and 10 to 20 percent of these incident caused by driver fatigue, self-driving trucks offer clear benefits.
If you want to learn more about the impact driverless cars and trucks will have on truck accident claims, talk to the legal team of Barrus Injury Lawyers.
