The Inconvenient Truth About 'Autopilot'
The heart of the matter, I think, is the gap between marketing and reality. Calling a driver assistance system 'Autopilot' is a stroke of marketing genius, but it also plants a powerful suggestion of capability in the driver's mind. This trial is forcing a conversation the industry has been avoiding. What level of safety is good enough, and what happens if the courts decide the current standard isn't it? A verdict that places more liability on manufacturers could send a shockwave through the sector, forcing a fundamental rethink of the technology required to keep a car on the straight and narrow. Suddenly, the demand for more robust, redundant safety systems might not just be a good idea, it could become a legal necessity.