A group of reporters from a popular tech news site was involved in an accident while reporting from a self-driving car. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but the vehicle sustained a great deal of damage.
The entire ordeal was captured on tape and the footage can be soon below.
According to the reporters, the accident happened on January 30. They were riding in a Hyundai Genesis that was modified to fit autonomous technology for a demonstration. Unfortunately, while the system was fully engaged and the vehicle was going at about 60 mph, a pickup truck dropped a garbage bin that had been poorly secured to the cargo bed. As it fell onto the roadway, a vehicle ahead applied its brakes to avoid a crash. As the driver behind the wheel of the self-driving car also applied the brakes, it was too late to avoid a collision.
The technician who was demonstrating the technology to the reporters said that the technology would have been engaged and would have been activated to avoid a collision. But since the demonstration was under way, the technology hadn’t been engaged yet.
We’re glad that nobody was injured in this accident. Still, this collision shows that the technology still has a long way to go before we’re 100 percent sure that it won’t pose a risk to drivers and their passengers.
Watch the whole ordeal below.
As the self-driving technology becomes more popular, we will end up seeing more of these reports. Thankfully, the technology will be in use so major accidents can be avoided. Until then, we must stay alert and learn as much as we can before the technology is widely available.
Despite the accidents, we’re excited to see the technology helping drivers to avoid collisions triggered by human error.
For more on this accident and the aftermath, follow this link.
