Autonomous Cars and Tort Liability: Why the Market Will "Drive" Autonomous Cars Out of the Marketplace
Kyle Colonna · Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons (Case Western Reserve University) · 2012
No. I• 20I2 Autonomous Cars and Tort LiabilityOn June 16, 2011, Nevada passed bill A.B. 51!3 and became the first state to amend its current transportation statute to expressly recognize autonomous cars as a legal form of transportation.4Although Nevada took the first step in legalizing autonomous cars, the statute failed to provide any specific regulations tailored to cars with autonomous technology.5 Instead, A.B. 511 charges the Nevada Department of Transportation with the task of subsequently creating autonomous car regulations.6 Approximately four months later, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles proposed "minimum safety standards" for autonomous vehicles, which define autonomous technologies, set testing and certification requirements, establish minimum safety standards, and 3. Stan Hanel, Driverless cars tested in Nevada, LAS VEGAS REV.-J.(Oct.~4, 2011, 11:22 AM), http://www.lvrj.com/drive/driverless-cars-tested-m-nevada-131846728.html(last updated Oct. 14, 2011, 11:22 AM) ("AB 511 passed through the Assembly Ways and Means Committee as well as the Senate Finance Committee, where it was amended twice before being.vo~edfor final passage by both state houses.Gov. Sandoval signed the bill mto law on June 16, and Nevada became the first state in the nation to allow driver less vehicles onto designated roadways."). 4.