Autonomous cars aren’t perfect, but how safe must they be?

Government statistics show that human mistakes are responsible for 94 percent of the 33,000 traffic fatalities each year. Autonomous cars won’t get drowsy, distracted or drunk, so in theory they could eliminate those mistakes and save an estimated 31,000 lives a year.

As autonomous car technology rapidly progresses, makers of the cars face the difficult question of how safe they must be before they’re ready to move people on highways and city streets.

Right now, companies such as Google, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz are testing the cars in a small number of cities to demonstrate they can be safer than human drivers. They also must figure out what level of risk is acceptable to both government regulators and a potentially skeptical public.

By TOM KRISHER and JUSTIN PRITCHARD

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/business/autonomous-cars-aren-t-perfect-but-how-safe-must-they/article_7885ca95-91d2-589c-bea6-a80dfdd2c8d8.html