Auto manufacturers continue to tweak and refine technology that allows today’s consumers to take a much more passive role while navigating their cars. This new self-driving technology relies on sensors and cameras, known as ADAS. ADAS stands for: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. This new technology is currently featured in cars as commonly used as a Toyota Camry. ADAS has improved many aspects of driver safety, but ADAS programs are not flawless.
According to crash data uncovered by legal experts, ADAS malfunctions have led to fatal accidents that could have been avoided. Georgia-based attorney Bob Cheeley of Cheeley Law Group is involved in a case involving an ADAS that refused to allow the driver to retake control of their vehicle. Cheeley said his firm is seeing an uptick in accidents in vehicles with ADAS.
“Nationwide, many cases involve a vehicle that does not abide by the parameters designed for it to follow,” Cheeley said. “We’re beginning to see those problems manifest themselves where these vehicles cause collisions that severely injure people and potentially kill people.”
Cheeley is overseeing a case involving one of the best-selling trucks in the world. Tragedy struck after the truck’s ADAS failed to follow white lines on the pavement. The vehicle drove into the grass and subsequently collided with a huge tree. The ADAS failure is blamed for the accident.
Tragedy struck after the truck’s ADAS failed to follow white lines on the pavement. The vehicle drove into the grass and subsequently collided with a huge tree. The ADAS failure is blamed for the accident.
“That ADAS system would not allow the driver to steer the vehicle,” Cheeley said. “We could tell from that Blackbox data that the driver tried to steer the vehicle to the right, but it did not respond. It went straight and led to his death.”
Cheeley, who owns a car with ADAS, does not completely trust the system to protect his life.
“Even Tesla, which set the industry standard with its autopilot, has instances where their vehicles killed people by running under tractor-trailer trucks. They have also struck pedestrians crossing the street,” Cheeley said. “There’s still a long way to go. The technology behind it is amazing, but you must still be on the lookout.”
