Self-driving cars are gradually getting into the United States and other European Union countries. As a result, decision-makers like the government must decide how the law should be applied. When a self-driving vehicle causes harm, it is difficult to determine who is responsible. It is important to recognize how far we have come as a society regarding self-driving cars. Even so, tech giants, Samsung and Google have begun putting their prototypes to the test on real roads. We can expect a wide range of changes in society’s mentality and way of life if autonomous vehicles become commonplace (De Bruyne and Werbrouck 1150). For the time being, the legality of self-driving cars remains a question unanswered, and this paper aims to explore more self-driving cars to shed light on this issue. This paper aims to explore more self-driving cars providing insights into whether or not self-driving cars should be legal.
The United States already has a law governing self-driving cars. The “Self-driving Act” was passed by the United States Congress in 2017 to ensure the safety of self-driving vehicles while they are being tested. In addition, the action required manufacturers to put in place plans for cyber security and privacy protections. The program provides manufacturers with exemptions from existing motor vehicle safety standards to use nearly 25,000 autonomous vehicles within their first year of operation. Exemptions can also occur when the manufacturer proves that the vehicle’s overall safety can be compared to cars that are not exempted from the regulations (De Bruyne and Werbrouck 1151). Self-driving cars should be legalized around the world, as testing in America ensures cyber security and privacy and the safety of those who ride in them.
However, the use of sensors controlled by software in self-driving vehicles is a safety concern. It is critical to recognize that software systems subjected to rigorous testing do not always perform well. As a result, using self-driving cars increases the risk of mishaps. It is also important for self-driving cars to deal with specific sensors or signals that can be ambiguous at times. For example, when it comes to Google-tested cars, Google Maps is crucial. They are for discussion and have difficulty navigating situations that are not within Google Maps’ scope of coverage. As a result, this shows that self-driving cars still have a long way to go before they meet public safety standards (Schellekens 508).
Another major drawback of self-driving cars is its potential for security breaches. When a vehicle relies on computers to operate, it is vulnerable to cyberattacks. What happens if a society’s capacity to stay connected and deliver fundamental necessities to the majority is compromised? The recent Colonial Pipeline hack triggered a wide range of problems. When it comes to an autonomous car network, a breach would be catastrophic.
Furthermore, the routes that these vehicles can take are constrained by the fact that they cannot make critical decisions in the event of anything obstructing their predetermined paths. As a result, users and others who come into contact with them run the risk of harm or death due to their actions. There should be no legalization of them as a result of this.
The moral predicament is based on the premise that the artificial intelligence in self-driving cars is incapable of making decisions between several good outcomes — or even “least awful” options. In order to avoid colliding with a school bus full of children, an autonomous car could choose to veer off the road, perhaps killing the driver inside.
Rather than the rules and regulations that govern various activities, internal programming is what autonomous vehicles rely on the most. As a result, if the internal program does not consider this, this self-driving car may be prone to breaking traffic laws. An override system is the internal independent car system (Schellekens 508). This means that self-driving cars are dangerous to use in congested cities and other high-traffic areas because they may fail to recognize given rules, resulting in accidents. As a result, legalizing self-driving cars may be risky and insecure, with serious consequences when traffic rules are broken. As a result, the law should prohibit their implementation and use.
Most in the United States, legislation has made self-driving automobiles a reality. However, it is critical to recognize that self-driving vehicles are based on technology and have not been properly tested or polished to assure adequate safety standards (Greenblatt 46). Additional efforts are required to assure the safety of self-driving automobiles. Whether self-driving vehicles should be legalized is already a fundamental one. Countries have already taken steps to deploy self-driving cars on public roads in the near future. As a result, improving the regulation and safety aspects of self-driving vehicles is critical if the law contemplates making them lawful internationally.
Work Cited
De Bruyne, Jan, and Jarich Werbrouck. “Merging self-driving cars with the law.” Computer law & security review 34.5 (2018): 1150-1153.
Greenblatt, Nathan A. “Self-driving cars and the law.” IEEE Spectrum 53.2 (2016): 46-51.
Schellekens, Maurice. “Self-driving cars and the chilling effect of liability law.” Computer Law & Security Review 31.4 (2015): 506-517.
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