I know it is rare, but this situation can arise through no error of the car&#x27;s controls. Consider the failure of the car&#x27;s master cylinder. If your Brakes don&#x27;t work, then this might be the exact choice you make.<p>I don&#x27;t want to sound overly cynical, but I somehow doubt that self-driving cars are going to suddenly make cars <i>more</i> reliable. Mechanical failure are not a common cause of crashes - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov&#x2F;pubs&#x2F;812115.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov&#x2F;pubs&#x2F;812115.pdf</a> - according to the NHTSA there, they account for 2% of crashes between 2005-2007. Still, self driving cars will need to be able to handle situations where there are mechanical failures.