Last month, a Lexus SUV traveling east on El Camino Real in Mountain View, California sideswiped a city bus. The Lexus was being operated by Google’s self-­driving car technology, a system of sensors and software that allows the car to navigate without the aid of a human operator. It was the first time that one of the company’s driverless cars had caused a crash, but it probably won’t be the last.

Supporters of driverless cars say they have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives per year, but the technology is unproven and evidence suggests that automated vehicles are more accident prone than conventional cars. As they become widely adopted, driverless cars will open up new avenues for attorneys to go after manufacturers' deep pockets.

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