Good news for drivers, passengers and pedestrians spells bad news for personal injury lawyers.

As was reported recently in the Wall Street Journal, a new study found that widespread use of self-driving cars could eliminate 90% of all auto accidents in the U.S. and decrease the costs related to accident damage and health issues by around $190 billion per year.

The study, by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., predicts mass implementation of auto-piloted vehicles is not that far in the future. Initial adoption of the cars could happen as soon as early next decade.

The landscape of vehicle ownership will also see some major changes. According to the report, a seismic shift in the automotive business model will likely take place as consumers favor a pay-for-use model instead of traditional car ownership.

Google has already hit the road with its complete self-driving cars.

While we continue to wait for mass-marketed self-driving cars, automakers aren’t holding back on their new innovations. Many are already including some of those technologies in new cars sold today, such as automatic braking, land departure prevention technology and blind-spot alert capabilities.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates there is a 14% decline in claims in cars with automatic braking. And when a crash does occur, the Institute says damage is almost always much less than in traditional vehicles.

photo | enokson