Attorney and traffic safety expert Amy Witherite warns that experimental driverless trucks will reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour as they undergo further testing on routes from Dallas – Houston, Fort Worth to El Paso and Phoenix to El Paso.
According to the Aurora Driverless Safety Report, the company’s driverless vehicles will cruise at 65 miles per hour. Still, they can reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour when merging with or overtaking other vehicles.
Currently, autonomous vehicles must only follow National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which were written before automated systems were developed. This creates a regulatory gap between traditional vehicles and newer vehicles equipped with emerging technology.
“These vehicles are still in the testing stage,” cautions Amy Witherite, founder of the Witherite Law Group. “In my decades of experience helping victims of trucking accidents my colleagues and I have seen the devastation an 18-wheeler causes when in a traffic accident.
“While this technology does have the potential to make trucking much safer and may eventually be able to replace human drivers in some instances, testing should be conducted with simulators or on closed courses and federal or state regulators should have the final say on whether it is safe to use on public highways.”
It is vital to note that even organizations formed to support the deployment of autonomous vehicles recognize the need for federal standards to be in place. According to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, “only the federal government can uniformly regulate the design, construction and performance of the vehicle.”
“Based on this information it is fair to ask whether self-driving trucks should be permitted to operate on Texas roads in the coming months, or whether there should be additional testing in an environment that does not include innocent motorists trying to get to work or school or taking their family on vacation,” said Witherite. “This technology will eventually have the potential to make driving safer but current plans to put these trucks on the road appear premature.”
The Witherite Law Group specializes in vehicle accident cases and offers crucial support for individuals involved in accidents with driverless vehicles. For more information visit their website. www.witheritelaw.com.
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