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Attorney predicts future with no car crashes

Posted at 8:21 AM, May 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-12 10:23:20-04

For every accident you pass on the road, there are likely hundreds of accident attorneys ready to take the case, and hopefully get the driver, and themselves, some money.  But what if there were no more accidents?

Driverless cars are promising to make our roads safer by eliminating the "human" element in the car. Denver attorney Jordan Levine points out technology is already making vehicles safer, with warning systems and automatic braking.

"You can have the autonomous cars where you have the driver who still needs to be in control, and then you’ll have it one day where there won’t even be a steering wheel or a pedal inside," says Levine.

Companies like Google and Apple, as well as major names in the auto industry, like Audi and Nissan, are already testing autonomous vehicles. Some believe these cars will eventually be able to communicate with one another to a point that crashes will be rare, if they happen at all.  

But that raises the question, if a driverless car is involved in a crash, could someone sue the car maker? Levine says it's an issue that will have to be addressed.

"I think at the beginning, you’ll have lawsuits against the company, but I think that eventually the legal system involving autonomous cars will change," Levine said.

Ultimately, Levine says he and other attorneys welcome technology that makes the roads safer, even if it means they won't be handling accident lawsuits anymore.

"I talked about it with the other lawyers here, we all have children and families.  If there’s technology that can eliminate accidents where I don’t have to worry about my family being out on the road, I would be more than happy to look for something else to do for a living," Levine said.

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