Ethical Concerns Of Autonomous Vehicles

The moral and ethical implications of the driverless cars like all other ethical issues have both pros and cons. This paper will underscore both sides [positive and negative] of the moral implications that will arise as a result of driverless or robotic cars. Two sides to the argument are presented with proponents’ belief that driverless cars will be much safer than cars driven by distracted and preoccupied humans. On the other hand, since no technology or system is perfect – who will be liable when a robot car crashes into someone? These and other moral issues will be explored.

Self driving vehicles is a huge change in our society. We are taking the next step into the future and creating something bigger than ever. Driverless cars can be a good thing and a bad thing in todays society. We depend on so many things now, the older we get and the more time goes on, the lazier we get. Being Americans, we are putting our thoughts and ideas to the ultimate test to create something so dangerous but so efficient. We have thought of ideas that would make our lives "easier" and less stressful. In this paper I will describe how driverless cars work, the current problems and setbacks that we are having, and how this new technology is being put to use today.

As technology in automobiles continues to improve, the debate over driverless cars has become more frequent. A self-driving car is able to move and navigate on its own using sensors and programming technology without human control. Many people believe the development of driverless cars would be beneficial because they could reduce the risk of hitting another car. The sensors and navigation would be able to avoid accidents, while drivers usually get distracted and would be able to use their time leisurely in the car. A self-driving car may allow people to drive when unable to in the past, such as children and disabled persons, and can be more cost-effective due to cheaper insurance. However, self-driving cars could be extremely expensive and can easily malfunction and therefore not always reliable, while also decreasing the safety of pedestrians and children who may attempt to use the car without permission. With new technology and distractions, driver’s minds can easily wander and become preoccupied. Technology can easily malfunction, and something as small as my phone or a light bulb will glitch frequently. I often see cars stranded on the side of the road because the engine went out or broke down; imagine how catastrophic an accident could be if a sensor in the car went out. Driverless cars are not beneficial to society because while there are favorable aspects of a self-driving car, one can malfunction and add new risks to the road, as well as potentially hurting the

Right now self-driving cars and trucks are hitting the road and will soon be available to the general market . Major companies like Google, Tesla, Uber and Delphi are leading in autonomous cars industry. In the past few years, these companies have made great strides improving this technology. Addressing the concerns for this technology must be concluded before it reaches the general public. Given the current state of automobiles that don’t need drivers the American consumer needs to be mindful that moral decisions this technology is handling puts them at risk due to the fact that this is emerging technology, laws are being made that will shape this technology, and who is choosing who lives and who dies.

First driverless cars are much less likely to crash. In fact “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that between 93 percent and 95 percent of car accidents are caused by human error” (par. 5, Tribune). This study displays

Basil Hume once said, “Each person matters; no human life is redundant.” Are self driving cars a stupendous or minute idea; as stated in the following passages, “PRO/CON: Is it time to hop in self-driving cars?” written by Tribune News Service; “Caution light is still on for Tesla's Autopilot technology,” written by Scientific American; “Man who is blind "drives" around town in Google's new driverless car,” written by Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, Washington Post. If Hume believes that human life is precious, but self-driving cars are risking fatal injuries to human life, what’s the answer? Legalizing self driving cars is a neurotic and harmful idea.

Although the self-driving car is relatively new in the world of technological advancement, they are coming to Portland, Oregon soon. While they are not widespread yet, Oregonians are concerned for various reasons. Once they arrive, many new laws must be created because of this new technology. The future impact of the self-driving car directly correlates to how safe people perceive the car. As of now, the cars and their ability to sense pedestrians are improving. However, the technology is not error-proof. Overcoming the widespread opinion and assumption that the cars are dangerous will be an extremely large hurdle for the self-driving car to defeat before people will consider using the self-driving function of cars that exist right now. Generally, to gain popularity among the community, self-driving cars must be able to prove that they can

The first article we will cover is Brian Fung’s article, “The big question about driverless cars that no one seems able to answer.” Fung deals with the large issue of liability with driverless cars. He focuses on how insurance companies will have to adjust as cars become increasingly more autonomous. Fung interviews several companies including State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and the District of Columbia Insurance Federation. He

“Human error was to blame for 90 percent of the 1.2 million deaths that occur each year from car accidents around the world.” (Swinburne). Autonomous vehicles would not be distracted by phones, cannot drink and drive, will not be at risk of falling asleep, and therefore could dramatically reduce the number of accidents on the road that are caused by these implications. Error on the road is caused mainly by humans, and the elimination of this variable could prove to be extremely effective in making the roads safer. The issue with this technology, that could prove to be detrimental is the question of if the software can understand objects it detects. A computer does not understand that a ball in the road could indicate a child playing nearby. Thus, creating a new and dangerous dynamic for vehicles on the

In the case of an accident, I believe the autonomous vehicle should be programmed according to the utilitarian philosophy in order to be most ethical. The utilitarian philosophy would cause the car to react in a manner that would cause the least amount of harm to the least amount of individuals involved in the accident (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013). I believe this to be the most ethical way to program the autonomous vehicle since this would not force the vehicle or the programmer to choose the importance of one life over another. This route would cause the least amount of harm to all involved and will also free the driver of being the one to make the decision of which crash option would be deemed the safest crash option.

Many of the people who believe technology advances in vehicles are helping todays driver has turned their head away from the cold hard facts. Many of the disbelievers in the danger of tech-nology while driving believe that driverless cars are what is going to solves today problem with distracted driving. The problem with this case is that driverless cars are at least a decade away. As drivers in this decade, action must be taken now to protect everyone from getting behind the wheel distracted. Another underlying problem that technology in car activist “forget” to men-tion is the cost of driverless cars. According to Haj-Assaad (2015), cost is the biggest obstacle to overcome with driverless cars (p.1).

Throughout the past year, media outlets have reported that autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, will become increasingly used on public roadways. By 2020, it is estimated that approximately 10 million vehicles featuring driverless capabilities will be used on roads across the globe and vehicles that are completely autonomous, with no user interaction, are expected as early as 2019. [1] By taking the human element out of driving, researchers developing driverless car technologies claim that the use of cars with autonomous capabilities can help reduce traffic problems, pollution, and significantly reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on public roadways, as more than 90 percent of traffic accidents are caused by human error. [2] Vehicles with driverless technologies that prevent the driver from accidentally swerving out of a lane and automatically brake in response to objects in the road when the driver is distracted can already be currently found on the market. Using a variety of sensors and cameras, these vehicles can detect the surrounding road conditions and steer or brake in response to other drivers, pedestrians and objects in the road to avoid collisions.

Modern technology is progressing nowadays with an enormous speed and faster than ever. Scientists are in the race of creating smaller, faster and less power consuming micro chips and entire systems everyday. The world is trying to computerize and make everything as smart as possible, so people can use these systems in their favors by simplifying their everyday lives. Cars haven't been left without the attention either. A little more than 100 year ago, the first Ford car became available to public and was the first mass-produced automobile which, basically, consisted of a cabin, steering wheel and wheels. Since then, cars evolved a lot and what defines a car today are multiple sensors, electronics that control many aspects of driving and all that is connected by nearly 1,500 wires with 1 mile in total length [1]. Scientists don’t want to stop on the achieved, and their current goal is to develop and mass-produce autonomous cars.There are many ethical issues that arise around self-driving cars and I will discuss some of them and explain why I think that the process of automating the cars should be delayed until, at least, we have more sophisticated technology for that.

Drivers keep rear-ending Google’s self-driving vehicles. Despite initial fears that the vehicles themselves were to blame for these accidents, evidence suggests that the human drivers involved in these accidents are at fault. It is thought that the innovative vehicles cause drivers to become distracted.

Looming changes in insurance laws are susceptible to the rapid rise in autonomous vehicles and the transformation or potential eradication of personal liability under Michigan’s No-Fault Act pursuant to state laws. Today’s society is brimming with pioneering technological advancements that allay any fears of backpedaling to the era of the 20th century where the progression from the “horse” age to the “motorized” age provided hope for a futuristic America. Now, the world is preparing itself to embrace the next major evolution in traveling: the shift from driver-dependent cars to self-driving vehicles. Technology has changed the way the general public communicates, learns, lives, and most importantly, travels. Today’s vehicles are equipped