Generally speaking, liability for a thing falls on the owner/operator. That person can sue the manufacturer to recover the damages if they want. At some point, I expect it to become somewhat routine for insurures to pay out, then sue the manufacturer to recover.

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PunchyHamster 39 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

but tesla is the operator

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amelius 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Or at some point subscribing to a service may be easier than owning the damn thing.

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DaSHacka 12 hours ago | parent [-]

All according to plan

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koakuma-chan 11 hours ago | parent [-]

It already doesn't make sense to own a car for me. It's cheaper to just call an Uber.

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ghaff 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I'm guessing that's a fairly city viewpoint. My car is setup with roofrack and carries a lot of other gear I want. I'm regularly in places without reliable cell etc. Visiting friends can easily be an hour drive.

	▲	koakuma-chan 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yes, a city viewport. I usually just walk, but when I don't I most often take the subway, not even Uber. Though I feel like in Toronto the subway or some part thereof is closed or under maintenance or whatever way too often. It's not very reliable.

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gffrd 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

For some this is the case. For others, this is not the case.

	▲	amelius 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		some -> most ?

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einpoklum 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Ah, but could one not argue that the owner of the self-driving car is _not_ the operator, and it is the car, or perhaps Tesla, which operates it?

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kube-system 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

All Tesla vehicles require the person behind the steering wheel to supervise the operations of the vehicle and avoid accidents at all times.

Also, even if a system is fully automated, that doesn’t necessarily legally isolate the person who owns it or set it into motion from liability. Vehicle law would generally need to be updated to change this.

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sroussey 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Mercedes agrees. They take on liability when their system is operated appropriately.

	▲	kube-system 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		They say they will, but until relevant laws are updated, this is mostly contractual and not a change to legal liability. It is similar to how an insurance company takes responsibility for the way you operate your car. If your local legal system does not absolve you from liability when operating an autonomous vehicle, you can still be sued, and Mercedes has no say in this… even though they could reimburse you.