People get excited when a new device is invented that either makes life easier, or adds fun to people's daily routines. But what people always forget is that new technology will inevitably lead to new types of personal injury laws and lawsuits. For a long time, lawmakers did not have to worry about passing legislation that reflected the changing times in technology. But these days, lawmakers struggle to keep pace with the ways that technology is changing our lives.
Humans are terrible at understanding the learning curve for new technology, and that is why there are so many lawsuits associated with that technology. A good example would be the consumer expectations for self-driving cars, and the reality.
Consumers expect to turn on the self-driving feature, kick back, and watch a movie as their car drives them to their destination. The problem is that manufacturers include a wide variety of warnings on how not to use self-driving cars to protect people from themselves. There needs to be a learning curve with these kinds of vehicles, but there are plenty of personal injury lawsuits popping up in the meantime.
There are two major issues with the increase in the number of drones; privacy and auto accidents. Lawmakers are working to adjust existing laws and create new ones that protect the public from having their privacy invaded by a drone. Whether it is a drone photographing someone that does not want to be photographed or peeping in on someone' private moments, drones are becoming a privacy issue.
Drones are also being used in many areas of the corporate world, and that puts more drones into the sky. While drones help companies make more money, drones that crash into moving traffic are creating problems. Once again, lawmakers are working to create guidelines drone users must follow to prevent traffic accidents. But for now, drones are dropping into traffic like flies, and there are lawsuits being filed because of it.
Hoverboards do not actually hover. These are fun transportation devices on two wheels that offer no way for the user to steady and balance themselves. Not only are hoverboards dangerous for people to ride, but hoverboards are also catching on fire all over the country.
Legislators have a history of banning toys that present a danger to the public, and hoverboards could be headed in that direction. In the meantime, lawmakers are giving hoverboard manufacturers the chance to show that their products can be safe both in operation, and in not randomly catching on fire.
The smartphone app Pokemon Go! was in the news when people were paying attention to their phones and not the road ahead of them and driving off cliffs. The Uber app is getting plenty of attention as criminals are using it to find new victims that come complete with cars to steal. People who create apps are finding that they are being hit with more liability when something goes wrong, and that could change apps in the future.
As technology evolves, so do the laws put together to protect people from technology, and themselves. Almost every new form of technology presents a personal injury situation, and that can be a problem for the technology manufacturer, the user, and the unsuspecting public.
