Desktop computers. Mobile phones. Wi-Fi.

Seemingly almost overnight, these advances in technology havefundamentally transformed the way society operates and functions ona daily basis.

However, these and other modern technological developments maypale in comparison to the impact felt in connection with theintroduction of autonomous vehicles onto our nation's roadways.

Today, the world's leading car makers are racing to build fullyautonomous vehicles. The goal for many is tohave self-driving cars on the road by 2020. Thebenefits of this advanced technology will be significant, asautonomous vehicles hope to substantially reduce the number andseverity of accidents caused by human error — the primarycatalyst for the vast majority of current automobile accidents.However, the benefits will extend well beyond roadway safety tomatters such as aiding in traffic congestion and improving theefficiency and effectiveness of transportation systems.

The arrival of this new technology is likely to raise an arrayof unique and thorny legal issues in the years to come. By far themost predominant legal issue concerning the advent of autonomousvehicles pertains to liability for accidents involving self-drivingcars.

David J. Oberly is an attorney in the Cincinnati office ofMarshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. Contact himat [email protected].

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