Neb. Legislature Attempts to Define Liability in AV Accidents

Feb. 5, 2019—On Tuesday, a Nebraska state senator attempted to clarify the question of accident liability about the fast-growing technology of self-driving vehicles, reported Omaha World-Herald.

Under a legislative bill introduced by State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, the manufacturer of the self-driving technology would be liable in a crash involving a vehicle that was capable of “the entire driving task” and operating in autonomous mode. In the case of a vehicle operating “in concert” with a driver—such as a car with lane-centering technology that required a motorist to touch the wheel every so often or take control when making a stop—the driver would be liable, according to the report.

Julie Maaske, the director of the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, said the agency asked Geist to introduce the bill and aimed for the bill to not only clarify who is liable but to standardize that across the nation.