Uber patrons in Pittsburgh can now dial up an autonomous vehicle, climb inside and watch the steering wheel spin, untouched by human hands, as they scoot through downtown.

But the sudden arrival of driverless technology ready for public use has regulators and attorneys still waiting for answers to some important questions, including how liability would be handled in the case of an accident.

Pennsylvania has organized a task force to study autonomous vehicles and prepare policy recommendations, which are expected this fall. Until they arrive or proposed legislation is signed into law, though, Uber's fleet of self-driving cars will be treated just the same as any other vehicles on the road, according to state regulators.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Ben Seal

Ben Seal is managing editor of The American Lawyer. He joined the magazine in February 2018, and previously spent five years working for The Legal Intelligencer, editing the paper's magazines and supplements and reporting on Pennsylvania's state courts, legislature and Attorney General's Office. Contact him at [email protected] or @BSealTAL.

Auto
Commercial Lines
Commercial Lines
Coverage & Policy Issues
Loss Control
Personal Lines
Regulation/Legislation