Proposed Legislation Would Clear the Way for Driverless Waymo Vehicles to Hit Portland’s Roads in the Near Future

OregonLive recently reported on a significant change that could be coming to Portland’s streets and highways. If House Bill 4085 becomes law, companies like Waymo would be allowed to deploy driverless vehicles on Oregon roads, offering delivery services and passenger rides. The potential of self-driving vehicles on Portland’s streets raises many questions, ranging from their safety to the amount of insurance coverage they will carry… and more. Driverless vehicles would represent just one more challenge for users of Portland’s roads. For those who have already suffered serious harm in a Portland crash, regardless of who was (or was not) behind the wheel, the impacts are many. Whether your case requires court action, insurance claims, or both, having an experienced Portland auto accident lawyer by your side can enhance your odds of getting what you need from your claims.
Waymo already offers self-driving vehicles in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta. It has also announced plans to expand to San Diego, Las Vegas, and Detroit this year and is “eyeing Portland as it rapidly expands to more states,” according to the OregonLive report.
House Bill 4085, as written, would limit how cities, including Portland, could regulate entities like Waymo. The current version of the bill prevents municipalities from banning self-driving cars. It also bans the imposition of taxes or fees that do not also apply to other ride providers like Uber or Lyft, OregonLive has reported.
If the bill passes, its sponsor, Rep. Susan McLain, expects Waymo to begin prepping next year by mapping the Portland area with human drivers in advance of the self-driving fleet’s rollout.
The Risks Associated with Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving vehicles do not come without drawbacks. One of the biggest, obviously, is safety. Just last month, a driverless Waymo vehicle struck a child in Southern California. The collision “occurred within two blocks of a Santa Monica, California, elementary school during normal school drop-off hours.” Following the accident, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation opened a preliminary investigation.
Waymo’s data says that its driverless vehicles “experience significantly lower crash rates than cars driven by people.” Other statistics, including research cited by the National Law Journal, indicate that autonomous vehicles crash at a higher rate.
Regardless of their safety compared to human drivers, self-driving vehicles are not infallible. They will inevitably be involved in crashes, including accidents in which the self-driving vehicle was liable, either partially or entirely. This raises another important question about these vehicles: insurance. House Bill 4085 makes the state Department of Transportation responsible for approving and regulating autonomous vehicle operators and for establishing insurance and safety regulations.
The question then remains: what does that mean for someone injured by an autonomous vehicle that was at fault? Currently, the state minimum for auto insurance coverage is a meager $25,000. If driverless vehicles are allowed to hit the road carrying just state minimum coverage, or even if they are carrying an amount modestly above state minimum standards, the risk clearly exists that an accident where the autonomous vehicle was at fault may be an accident where the coverage provided by the vehicle provider’s insurance may not be enough to cover the full amount of harm inflicted. In such cases, an injured driver or passenger would need to rely, at least in part, on their own insurance policy’s uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.
The advent of driverless vehicles, if safety precautions are not followed, could be a danger to all people who use Portland’s roads. Even safe autonomous vehicles will still pose a serious drawback for people who offer rides or deliveries for a living, whether those drivers work for Uber, Lyft, a taxi company, or another entity.
Although auto accidents are common, auto accident cases are far from routine or simple. Getting what you should from your case requires the skill of a seasoned legal professional. The knowledgeable Oregon auto accident attorneys at Kaplan Law LLC have the experience necessary to provide you with the effective legal representation you deserve. To learn more about how our office can help you, call (503) 226-3844 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.