You saw the news about Waymo testing cars in Charlotte. Maybe you, a friend, or a loved one even had a minor fender-bender with one. A question naturally follows. If something goes wrong, who actually pays for it?
There is no single answer to the question of who is liable in a self-driving car accident. Liability depends on what actually caused the crash. It could fall on the vehicle’s registered owner, the manufacturer, or another driver.
The lawyers at Mehta & McConnell handle complex motor vehicle claims. Driverless car technology adds another layer to an already complex topic. Let’s take a closer look at autonomous vehicle liability in North Carolina.
You can reach our lawyers at 980-326-2270.
Who Is Liable in a Self-Driving Car Accident?
North Carolina has clear laws about fully autonomous vehicles. However, real crashes may involve several possible causes at once. This makes liability complicated.
Fault and legal responsibility are not always the same thing. In North Carolina law, the person whose name is on a fully autonomous vehicle’s registration is liable for moving violations. That is a clear rule for tickets.
Fault for an actual crash works differently. It depends on whether a human driver, another vehicle, or the self-driving system itself caused the wreck.
Is a Self-Driving Car Accident Negligence or Product Liability?
If you’re trying to work out who is at fault if a driverless car crashes, it could be either party. It could also be a negligence or product liability claim. Sometimes it is both at once.
A negligence claim looks at whether someone failed to exercise the level of care that a reasonable person would have exercised under the same circumstances. This could mean another driver running a red light. A product liability claim looks at the vehicle itself instead. It asks whether the vehicle, or its software, had a defect that caused the crash.
Self-driving car cases often blend the two ideas. This is why cases may be more complex than standard car accidents. A lawyer may need to look at both the other driver’s conduct and the self-driving vehicle’s systems.
Who Is at Fault in a Waymo Accident?
Waymo operates driverless vehicles with a growing presence on Charlotte’s streets. If one of these vehicles is involved in a crash, liability will depend on what caused it.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, owns Waymo. It currently runs vehicles like the Jaguar I-PACE and the newer Zeekr Ojai. As of July 2026, these cars still have a trained human safety specialist behind the wheel in Charlotte. Most crashes involving them right now still involve a human decision at some point.
Waymo’s technology has drawn federal scrutiny elsewhere. When Waymo vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses in Austin and Atlanta, there was an outcry. Investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) prompted Waymo to recall the software.
Speak to a Waymo robotaxi accident lawyer in Charlotte as soon as possible if you’re injured in an accident in the city.
Who Is Liable if an FSD (Full Self-Driving) Crashes in NC?
In August 2025, a Miami jury made a major finding. They found Tesla partly liable for a 2019 crash in Key Largo, Florida. A Model S on Autopilot had struck a parked car in that crash. The crash killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon. The jury assigned Tesla 33% of the blame (the driver was 67% at fault). They awarded $243 million in total damages, including $200 million in punitive damages. A federal judge upheld that verdict in February 2026.
That case involved Autopilot, not FSD. Still, it shows something important. A manufacturer can face real liability when its driver-assist technology shares the blame for a crash.
Cruise offers a cautionary tale, too. Cruise was GM’s former robotaxi division. One of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco in 2023. Afterward, the company admitted to filing a false report with federal regulators. Cruise paid a $500,000 criminal fine to the Department of Justice. It also paid an $8 to $12 million settlement to the victim. Cruise shut down its entire robotaxi program after that. Notably, Cruise had also tested vehicles in Charlotte before the company folded.
What If You’re Partly to Blame for a Self-Driving Car Claim in NC?
This is one of the most important things to understand about liability in self-driving car accidents in North Carolina. The state follows the contributory negligence rule. This means that being found even slightly at fault can bar you from recovering anything at all.
State law places the burden of proving contributory fault on the other side, not on you. That does not make the rule any less strict once fault gets shown, though.
When handling a self-driving car accident claim, the insurer will be aware of the rule. They may argue that a pedestrian, cyclist, or other driver acted unpredictably. They might say this happened around a vehicle that was following its programming. If that argument succeeds, it can wipe out an entire claim under North Carolina law.
FAQs
Who Is Liable in a Waymo Car Accident?
Waymo accident liability in North Carolina depends on the cause. Liability can fall on the registered owner, the manufacturer, or another driver, depending on what actually went wrong. Right now, Waymo vehicles in Charlotte still have a human safety specialist on board. Human decisions often remain part of the picture because of that.
Is the Driver Responsible If the Car Was in Autonomous Mode?
Not in the traditional sense. North Carolina law does not require a licensed driver when a fully autonomous system is engaged. Although the registered owner is responsible for moving violations, liability for a crash depends on its cause and may involve the vehicle owner, the manufacturer, another driver, or another responsible party.
Is a Self-Driving Car Accident Treated as Negligence or Product Liability?
It can be either. Sometimes it is both. Ordinary negligence covers careless conduct by a person. Product liability covers a defect in the vehicle or its software.
Who Is Liable If a Tesla on Full Self-Driving (FSD) Crashes?
Liability can fall on Tesla, the driver, or both. It depends on what caused the crash. A 2025 Florida jury verdict in an Autopilot case resulted in Tesla paying substantial compensation.
Can Police Pull Over or Ticket a Driverless Car in North Carolina?
Yes. Officers can stop it like any other vehicle. The vehicle itself does not hold a license. Any ticket for a moving violation generally goes to the person whose name is on the vehicle registration.
Contact a Self-Driving Car Accident Lawyer for Help Today
Self-driving car cases raise legal questions that many attorneys have never had to answer before. We’re often asked about driverless-car liability laws and are pleased to share our experiences.
If you’re hurt in a crash involving a Waymo or any other autonomous vehicle in the Charlotte area, contact us for a free consultation. We can use our combined 40 years of experience to figure out what happened and who may be responsible.
Sources Used to Inform This Page
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official and other resources during the content development process:
- Regulation of Fully Autonomous Vehicles, N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-400 to 20-403, NC General Assembly
- Fault Lines: Understanding Negligence Doctrines, UNC School of Government (2025)
- Burden of Proof of Contributory Negligence, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-139, NC General Assembly
- Contributory Negligence, Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute
- US judge upholds $243 million verdict against Tesla over fatal Autopilot crash, Reuters (Feb 2026)
- Cruise Admits to Submitting a False Report, U.S. Department of Justice
- Navigating Autonomous Vehicle Technology and the Law, UNC School of Government
Mehta & McConnell Injury Lawyers
Mehta & McConnell, PLLC was founded in 2021 to represent individuals who are injured at work or due to the negligence of someone else. Both of our attorneys began their careers as defense attorneys representing large corporations and insurance companies, but we now only represent injured individuals.