Why do we get freaked out by self-driving car accidents

The arrival of autonomous cars means many things to many people, but it’s hard to argue the positives.

Fewer accidents. Fewer deaths and injuries. No more worries about speeding or people driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Increased accessibility to affordable transportation in communities that need it most.

In summary, autonomous cars removes the option for human error, and humans are flawed creatures that do make mistakes.

Self-driving technology has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year in the US alone.

But in the meantime, the companies testing autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles – the Waymos, Ubers, and Teslas of the world – are setting themselves up for greater scrutiny than traditional automakers with each accident they’re involved in.

It’s not because their robotic vehicles aren’t technically safer than human-operated vehicles. They almost certainly are. It’s because when there is an accident involving a self-driving or semi-autonomous vehicle, especially one where there’s a death or injury involved, there’s an added level of discomfort. It’s technology making – or at least contributing to – the accident. It’s easy and understandable to blame a human for a car accident. It’s not as easy to understand when a car powered by a bunch of algorithms and AI is to blame.

The outsized media coverage of car accidents happen because there’s an extra level of creepiness when humans aren’t involved.

There’s going to be outrage when a corporation could be at fault for creating a flawed and dangerous product, especially when those products are effectively being beta tested in public where human lives may be at risk.

It’s easy to understand when a human driver causes an accident by driving while drunk. We’re still exploring the ramifications of a traffic accident caused by a robot.

Source: Business Insider

19 May 2018