Self-Driving Cars: Legal, Social, and Ethical Aspects

Abstract

Road safety statistics show increasing numbers of casualties due to traffic accidents all over the world. A fact that challenges vehicle manufacturers to develop new technologies in order to confront. Over the past few years, vehicles that can navigate autonomously, without driver intervention, have been developed and are expected to be released to market soon. Currently, the testing of self-driving cars is legally permitted in three American states. Additionally, tests are being conducted in some European countries. Autonomous driving holds the promise of various advantages. However, introducing such technology into public roads can raise many questions. In the present article, the legal, social, and ethical aspects of self-driving cars are investigated against the current applicable laws. The article aims at finding to which extent such laws can answer the raised questions. The legal questions in this article are sorted into six groups: reliability, insurance, regulatory, behavioral, liability, and security. Social and ethical questions are grouped into three categories: privacy, behaviors, and societal impact. Finally, the present article suggests recommendations for developing such laws accordingly.

Keywords: self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles, law, liability, reliability, insurance, security, privacy, behavior, social impact, technology adoption

JEL Classification: K10, O30, P37, Z13