What duty does a jay-walker have in the age of driverless vehicles?

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | March 20, 2018

Np. 1,446

Image: dezeen.com

Time reports that a woman struck and killed in Arizona by a self-driving Uber was the first pedestrian killed under the emerging technology.  There was a person sitting in the driver’s seat, a standard practice in the experimental phase.  Presumably, the job of the human was to slam on the brakes when something like this happens. In a sense, he/she is the co-pilot when the plane is flying on autopilot.

So who is negligent here?  The engineers who designed the driverless system, the back-up driver, or the jay-walker? Or is it some combination of these?

Here’s the Time article, but as you know, its in all the papers.

CLT

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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