Kevin Dean, who is taking claims against General Motors and Takata, said: 'You’re going to get a whole host of new defendants. Computer programmers, computer companies, designers of algorithms, Google, mapping companies, even states. It’s going to be very fertile ground for lawyers.' 

Pockets getting deeper

Bryant Walker Smith, assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, said: 'If you have to be hit by a car, then you should hope that you’re hit by an automated car because you will likely have recourse to a company or companies with far deeper pockets than your average driver, vehicle owner or insurance policy.' Source: Bloomberg Business of Law