The Early Days of the Car Industry and the Challenges of Assigning Blame

This chapter discusses the early days of the car industry in the 1890s and the variety of cars that existed at the time, including electric taxis in New York. It explores the optimism surrounding automobiles and the promise of personal freedom and improved mobility, but also the concerns that arose. The chapter recounts the first automobile speeding arrest and highlights a tragic accident in 1899 where a man was killed by a taxi, marking the first pedestrian death caused by a car in the United States. It then transitions to a more recent incident involving a driverless car in Tempe and examines the similarities in the questions being asked about safety and responsibility.