Ethics of Regulating Autonomous Vehicles
It seems inevitable that we are coming into a time when autonomous or self driving cars are going to be sharing our roadways. Lawmakers are scrambling to come up the framework for a uniform set of rules and regulations that manufacturers and programmers can use to develop the complex software required to operate these technologically advanced vehicles. The issues facing both the lawmakers and manufacturers are vast.
Complex issues such as liability, insurance, security, and privacy are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed by lawmakers before autonomous can be trusted to share the roads with their human counterparts. Who is liable if an autonomous car causes an accident or injures someone? Is it the owner of the car, the manufacturer of the car, the software developer / programmer, or is someone else liable? Does the arrival of autonomous cars mean the beginning of the end for insurance companies?
If everyone is driving around in safer, smarter cars then there is no need for expensive insurance policy’s right? What if the occupant of the car takes over control and causes an accident, or what if a hacker takes control of a car and causes an accident? It seems that insurance companies are not only going away, they are all the more important to protect drivers and owners from claims that can arise. Is an autonomous car responsible for keeping your information and data private? Will it have detailed information on where you go and when you go? Will it know who is in your car at all times? Will it have video of your every move and record everything you say? That seems like an awful lot of information that someone may not want to be made public.
Autonomous cars seem to be the wave of the future but there are quite a few issues that need to be resolved before they can be trusted enough to share the road with its human counterparts.