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4 Dec 2019

New Technology and New Services Can Lead To New Types of Accidents

Post by Jordan Toplen

It’s great to embrace new technology and new services. However, sometimes there are unintended secondary effects that come along with these innovations. And some of those secondary effects are negative – for example, new types of accidents can happen because new variables are in the equation of your life.

Think of the few examples to illustrate how this might be the case. With Uber and Lyft being so prevalent these days, the number of car accidents with ridesharing services has become a problem. Drones are awesome to play with and have lots of professional value, but now some accidents and injuries happen because of them. 

And many big cities have electric scooters that are available to reduce traffic in dense downtown areas, but there are plenty of injuries that have occurred because of improper use now as well. Each of those examples illustrates why it’s important to keep a broad overview of the benefits and detriments of new things that are around.

Uber and Lyft

It is an excellent aspect of technology that ridesharing services are becoming more popular all around the world. But because people have these personal vehicles that they use for professional reasons and are on the road helping get people from one place to another, there are more Uber and Lyft accidents every month. Though it is a small percentage of accidents on the road and a sporadic occurrence, it still does happen, and people have to figure out legal recourse because it is a new style of a situation where an injury occurs.

Drones

You might decide to buy a drone for several reasons. New technology has made them smaller, faster, and less expensive, and has increased the number of things that you can do with them. For example, you can use a drone if you’re a professional photographer or videographer. Or, perhaps you can use them as a special effect if you’re putting on a show. 

These are all great things to bring to the technological table, but what about injuries that happen because of drones? They do malfunction occasionally, and suddenly you have a high-speed flying object that can injure a person or cause property damage.

Electric Scooters

Then there is the matter of accidents involving electric scooters. Traffic has gotten so bad in certain downtown areas that electric scooters are the perfect way to get around. But what happens when people don’t use them properly, or what happens when cars don’t respect them the way they should? 

People get hurt. Property gets damaged. And lawsuits and litigation follow. But there is not necessarily a precedent to follow yet. That is why there is a gray area regarding some aspects of this technology.