GM Settles With Motorcyclist Who Claimed Self-Driving Bolt Hit Him
Photo: © General Motors
Now is a very sensitive time for self-driving cars, as fatal crashes involving a self-driving Uber or a Tesla operating on Autopilot (which isn’t a self-driving system but seems doomed to be viewed as such) have shaken what little trust the American public had in the technology.
Looking at America: Would you take Chevy’s 48-state road trip?
With that in mind, GM has decided to deal with a lawsuit from January where a motorcyclist called Oscar Nilsson claimed that a self-driving Bolt hit and injured him, by basically putting in some money to get it to go away.
Here’s a quick refresher on what happened—the Bolt went to get into a left lane, and Nilsson sped up to pass. Nilsson claimed that the Bolt just randomly came back, while the police report claimed that he had tried to pass before it was safe to do so, and GM claimed that Nilsson had been lane-splitting, and then moved into the center lane, hitting the side of the Bolt.
Whatever exactly happened, we won’t find out now, nor will we hash out who exactly is liable in a self-driving vehicle crash, as amid the storm of self-driving suspicion, GM and Nilsson have simply settled the matter out of court, with Milsson’s attorney submitting a filing that said, “The parties anticipate finalizing all details and filing a joint stipulation for dismissal with prejudice within thirty (30) days, or before June 29, 2018.”
Moving Ahead: Chevrolet is teasing the next generation of Silverado HD trucks
However, given the recent negative press, and GM’s accelerating plans for its self-driving vehicle program, I think it seems likely that the automaker just wants this issue to go away so that they can get on without press focus on a self-driving vehicle crash, whether or not the self-driving vehicle was at fault.
News Source: Jalopnik
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.