Survey Sunday: When self driving cars crash, who gets the blame? — SkimNews
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- Electrek collected nearly 3,000 responses over several weeks in a sidebar survey asking who should be liable when AI-driven taxis crash or misbehave
- Only 102 voters (about 3.5%) placed blame on the person in the driver's seat, while nearly 90% pointed to the developers of the AI driving the car
- The survey coincided with the Tesla Cybercab re-unveiling in Austin, Texas, and news that the long-delayed Tesla Semi had begun series production in Nevada
- Commenters including "Ian" and "pushedbyvolts" argued the vehicle's registered owner should shoulder liability, noting that cars — not drivers — are insured
- Commenter "Stephen Fields" said owners cannot be liable because they "buy a black box which drives the vehicle" and have no preventive action to take
- Regular commenter "BCGeiger" proposed splitting liability evenly between the car manufacturer and the AI manufacturer, calling the autonomous-driving push a "hellscape"
Why it matters: The survey captures how a tech-literate audience frames the fault line in autonomous-vehicle crashes — pushing liability toward the software maker rather than the rider who summoned the vehicle. With the Cybercab back in headlines and Tesla Semis rolling off the line, the poll lands while regulators and courts are still working out who actually pays when AI drivers misbehave.
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