By Mark Geistfeld

There is a paradox in the ascension of autonomous vehicles (AVs). By eliminating the human driver, AVs can greatly reduce the number of crashes.But to reach this level of performance, driverless cars will first kill some of us.In fact, they must be allowed to do so.

As we begin to see the first deaths from crashes caused by AV testing on public roads,we will need to balance encouraging companies to develop these technologies by not making the costs prohibitively high and also protecting the rights of those forced into harm’s way during testing.

A bill pending in the U.S. Senate fails this standard.Instead, it eliminates individuals’ abilities to sue AV companies until the vehicles are governed by federal standards—likely years from now.

There is a better model: the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986,which compensates (through a tax on vaccines) those injured, who in exchange waive their tort rights.

The streamlined process reduces litigation costs and insurance premiums for manufacturers while protecting people.It proves we can encourage the development of a lifesaving tech without devaluing the well-being of those risking their lives to help make that better world a reality.

Source：http://www.kekenet.com/Article/201902/577642.shtml