Overly Discusses Possibility of New Autonomous Car Regulations Following Two Fatal Accidents

Partner Mike Overly was quoted in a Law360 article, “Autonomous Car Regs in Murky Territory After Crashes,” about the potential new regulatory implications of two deadly autonomous car crashes last month.

Overly said he doesn’t think regulators will change the rules significantly in the wake of the two accidents because the crashes don’t appear to be part of a pattern. “The operation of a motor vehicle is an inherently dangerous thing with fatalities and accidents every single day regardless if they’re autonomous or not,” he said.

What we may see as a result of the two accidents, he said, is a greater amount of finger-pointing among competitors as to who has the better, safer technology. “Now we’re starting to see differentiating factors which could be huge. Vendors are going to be incredibly careful because if you develop a pattern like this, you might have the technology nobody wants.”