StudyBoss » Automobile » Self-Driving Car: Ethical Dilemmas Essay

Self-Driving Car: Ethical Dilemmas Essay

According to studies 94 percent of vehicle accidents are caused by human error,So as the evolution of vehicles continues, new technology has risen(“Google Self-Driving Car). One vehicle that caught the public’s eye is the Self-Driving car. The only problem is that people are very concerned with this new idea. People are afraid of malfunctions and other related issues like hacking. Also cost is a big problem. Though there are malfunctions and affordability issues, Self-Driving cars are safe because they include a 360 viewing camera with radar detection, autonomous brakes, and a high tech computer that runs the whole vehicle.

Every Self-Driving car will have a 360 viewing camera and sensors to make the car safer. High end sensors and cameras are going to be put in these vehicles. The sensors for example will show the driver what it sees. It makes out the farthest to the closest objects;cones,lights, accidents, pulled over cars,etc… The cameras and sensors can even pick up a fluttering grocery bag in the wind. Also it may even sense a rogue bird flying by. Another feature is that it takes images and sends them to the car’s computer to determine where it is in the world.

This will then activate the gps. The best thing about these sensors though is that they can detect up to two football fields away. (Google Self Driving Car) Next is one of the most important features of all, the braking technology that makes this vehicle even safer. First of all the self driving car has autonomous brakes, this means the vehicle can stop on its own without the driver hitting the brakes. (The Telegraph) This feature was mainly for people not paying attention or that are “distracted”. (auto insurance. om) Some non- self driving cars are believed to already this feature. Most likely luxury vehicles or possibly the next chevy. Another feature is a loud beeping noise to warn the driver that they are to close to an object. This feature is also in non self-driving cars. So the brakes can put the driver in an all out stop or just slow them down and the sensors are usually located in the windshield (Blog esurance. com). Finally the last top safety feature is the self-driving cars super computer and engine. The computer is the main function of the vehicle.

The engine is electric so that means it is rechargeable. The main point of the computer though is that it can’t get “distracted”. But another feature that the computer has is that it self parks. The computer uses complicated algorithms to determine where and how it’s going to park. (Hearst Communications) And finally the paramount feature the self driven car will have is platooning. This means that will connect via bluetooth with other vehicles on the road and it will be able to get closer to the other cars to fit more on roads.

This feature will possibly get get rid of traffic lights forever(telegraph. co. uk). Furthermore on to platooning, which is vehicles linked together driving in close proximity with each other, will create safer and more room on highways(paste. com). As a result of this it leads to an effective way of saving gas and commute times will be reduced. Also, according to Dr. Randolph Hall, a professor and and vice president for Industrial and System Engineering of USC, “A typical freeway lane carries 2,000 vehicles an hour at capacity,”(Paste. om). So because of vehicle platooning it reduces the space between vehicles allowing more on and it makes it safer. Also according to Dr. Randolph Hall, self driving cars “could increase that [ratio] to 3,000 or 4,000. ” Instead of just 2,000 cars on the highway. Therefore traffic congestion and highway delays could get reduced and people won’t have to complain(paste. com). In fact if trucks had platooning abilities and not just delivery trucks but any in the work force could make their delivery times quicker and more efficient.

But there is something called mixed fleets which means that non self driving cars and self driving cars will be connected but because of human drivers people will most likely cut one of the cars off or mess around with them. That’s why more and more are trying to be developed. Lastly more and more bike lanes should open up because of the safe technology in self driving cars and more parking garages will be made and will replace parking lots. So most importantly driving in close proximity will cause less accidents(paste. com). On the other hand there are some big issues that face a self driving car.

For example people are making assumptions about one situation that the car faces. The situation is what if there is an oncoming vehicle, a child in your lane, and a cliff to your right. People are assuming the car will most likely take your life away. But the odds of this situation are very slim. This misconception is called the “trolley problem” and a self driving car can not make ethical decisions. This question is wrong and people should be asking themselves what they would in that situation because they can’t make that decision either.

You can make a choice but that chose you make is a bad choice because are still hackable. So this will always be a problem that may or may not be resolved(businessinsider. com). Lastly what makes this self driving cars safe is that there are different types to make people more comfortable. For example there is the fully self driving car which means the driver or what used to be is expected to not do anything because the car is completely in control. Another type is semi-autonomous which means the car will be in control most of someone will most likely die no matter what.

The way we measure our behavior against the law and against our moral compass so it is not so much whether an action is ethically right but rather whether an action is ethically wrong so our actions should not violate laws or ethical standards(driverless-future. com). So there is not a right or wrong action so the victim is either the child or the old man(driverless-future. com). Moving forward onto hacking and what issues people believe will make autonomous cars less safe. This statement is true however, hacking is illegal. Depending on state laws they may very, but for an example in the state of

Michigan the law states, “A person shall not intentionally access or cause access to be made to an electronic system of a motor vehicle to willfully destroy, damage, impair, alter, or gain unauthorized control of the motor vehicle. ” (nakedsecurity. com). Also todays autonomous cars use lidar which stands for light detection and ranging. So the cars use sensors and cameras with built in lidar but sadly lidar devices can cost up to $10,000 dollars each. But a man named Jonathan Petit used just $43 dollars and a laser pointer and easily confused the cars The 43 dollars was used to buy an app that allows anyone to do this.

But the only alternative is using firewalls and antivirus software but these the time but it can come out of this mode at any time and make the driver take over. This type especially makes people feel more comfortable because they are able to drive. Then there are cars that have some driver assistance like the semi autonomous but usually it’s small advances like self parking or in line assist. Also some cars feature an automatic braking system that allows the car to stop without the driver hitting the brake.

Most of the new cars seen today use this and its main function was if the driver was paying attention and there was an obstacle in front of the car then it would hit the brakes automatically(waymo. com). All things considered though is a tough because of the cost of one of these cars. Out of every Lidar component put in each of these vehicles costs around $75,000 dollars(fool. com). Also there are other technologies in each vehicle that can cost around 7 to $10,000 dollars so it adds up(fastcompany. com). But self driving cars will not be available for some time.

But companies are finding new ways to make them cheaper by shrinking technology(fool. com). Now these features; a 360 viewing camera , autonomous brakes, and a high tech computer concludes how safe this vehicle really is. Hackers have not been resolved in this situation yet. The only way to stay safe from hackers is anti virus software and firewalls but anything digital can be hacked. Also one thing to remember is the trolley problem and that there is no right or wrong answers.

A self driving car can not adopt ethical decisions especially if the chances are slim tonone(driverlessfuture. om). From here on people should consider these facts, in 2104 in the United States had many fatal incidents including, 9,262 speeding, 9967 from alcohol,3179 from distraction, and 846 people from drowsiness(waymo. com). Lastly the U. S. Department of Transportation assigns a value on each human which is $9. 2 million. Therefore this is a significant cost savings in many different ways like insurance or health care costs associated with accident recovery alone(auto insurance center. com). Distraction is not an option with this one.

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.