[ExI] Autonomous car ethics

[BillK]

On 25 June 2016 at 20:06, spike  wrote:
> I may have misunderstood what I was told about the algorithm or something
> has changed, but I heard that swerving is not one of the evasive maneuvers
> available to a self-driver.  In an emergency situation it brakes hard.  It
> can move to one side of the lane if that space is clear but if an unaware
> driver starts to drift over (a situation perhaps everyone here has been in,
> and possibly even done) then the self-driver brakes hard while moving away
> but doesn't do anything analogous to a human driver swerving.  If a squirrel
> or dog darts out, the car brakes hard but doesn't swerve to miss.
>
> This feature introduces new challenges and possibly dangers.  We humans look
> through the car ahead of us, perhaps without even being aware we are doing
> it.  If the car in front of us has a clear road in front of it, that car can
> sometimes cause an accident by suddenly braking hard.  I am told some
> insurance company scammers do this, since it is the fault of the guy in
> back.
>


Collision avoidance systems are now appearing in ordinary cars. Both
forward collision avoidance using braking and side collision avoidance
using steering. Surely Google will be using similar systems?

BillK