Can You Sue The Drunk Driver Of A Self-Driving Car?

If you were injured by a self-driving car and the driver was drunk, how does that affect your personal injury claim? Here's what you should know.

Does It Matter If the Driver Was Drunk?

The first thing to understand is that it may not matter at all whether the driver was drunk. In a personal injury claim, you have the right to appropriate compensation. The purpose of a personal injury claim isn't to punish the other driver, so it doesn't matter why they caused your injuries just that they did.

For example, you may be struck by someone who ran a red light when you had the green light. It doesn't matter if that driver was drunk or not. They are liable simply because they had a red light and were supposed to stop.

Can You Sue a Driver If Their Car Was Doing All the Driving?

You can still sue another driver even if they were using the autopilot. There are two possible ways you can sue them. First, unmonitored autopilot isn't a legal way of driving yet. Drivers still have to monitor their car and avoid collisions so they're still responsible for keeping their car from doing something unsafe.

Second, the car still belongs to the driver. Just like someone is responsible for their dog biting someone, they are responsible for what their car does while on autopilot even when they aren't directly controlling it. It's possible that the manufacturer of the car could ultimately end up being responsible, but you still have the right to go through the driver.

Legally Can the Driver of a Self-Driving Car Be Drunk?

The driver of a self-driving car can't drive drunk because they're still responsible for monitoring their car. Being impaired can lead to them not being able to prevent an accident that they should have been able to prevent. So while you don't always have to prove that the other driver was drunk, proving that they were drunk can help your case.

The easiest way to handle it is to immediately call the police if you suspect the other driver of being drunk and tell them the other driver is drunk so they come quickly enough to perform tests. You can then use the police report to help your personal injury claim when you go to court.

To learn more about how to handle your accident, contact a local personal injury lawyer today.