Driverless Cars Tested in Tampa

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) September 29, 2014 – Tampa’s Lee Roy Selmon Expressway has become a testing ground for driverless cars, an emerging technology that could help prevent thousands of automobile accidents.

The upper part of the expressway was closed to traffic on July 28 as Audi tested a system called Traffic Jam Pilot, which will make it possible for drivers to let an automobile drive itself in stop-and-go traffic under 40 miles per hour, with the driver available to take back over with ten seconds’ notice.

“Hopefully, this technology will succeed in reducing injuries and deaths from automobile accidents,” said Robert Joyce, a Tampa car accident attorney. “It is great that Tampa can be part of the development of these new safety features.”

Audi said that it would be able to make the new technology available in cars sold to the public within five years, and that it was the first step toward a completely autonomous vehicle. However, changes in regulations may not be made that quickly. Florida is currently one of only three states where driverless cars are allowed on the road, and the Selmon Expressway is one of only ten places in the country available for testing the new technology.

Governor Rick Scott was on hand for Audi’s test to promote the advantages to Florida’s economy as a testing ground for driverless cars. Scott rode in one of the vehicles being tested and praised the technology, although he also saw what real-world testing entails: on two occasions, the Audi A7 stopped because one of 22 onboard sensors stopped functioning.

Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A. 307 S Hyde Park Ave Tampa, FL 33606 Call: 813.251.2007