First Driverless Car Fatality

Sadly, we seem to have had the first fatality associated with driverless cars. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a fatal crash in Florida involving a Tesla running in Autopilot mode. Atrios  over at Eschaton is (again) almost a lone voice in the wilderness in lack of faith in the feasibility of driverless cars, primarily because of the technological challenges to do so on a wide scale. This will do nothing but bolster that lack of faith.  My question for driverless cars would be who will be liable when accidents like these occur, and they will occur.  I’m pretty sure the manufacturers of the driverless car technology will not want to take on that liability but who else is going to be responsible. As a driver, I am certainly not going to take on that liability when I have essentially turned the car over to technology. And if I am forced to take on that responsibility, then I might as well drive the car myself. I know we’ve been promised this Utopia where driverless cars will keep us safer and somehow reduce congestion but I have a feeling this is more like the Jetson-type of personal air travel that I was promised as a kid back in the 60s. I’m still waiting.