[ExI] Autonomous car ethics

[BillK]

On 25 June 2016 at 20:06, spike wrote:
<snip>
> OK so as self-drivers become more common over the next few years, we need to
> give the car ahead of us a little more room, unless we have auto-braking.
> Note that one of the unintended consequences of anti-lock brakes is that it
> might have caused the car with it to have less risk of hitting a Detroit in
> front but increased the risk of being hit by a Detroit from behind.  If a
> prole has that feature and the prole behind does not, the guy up front can
> get maximum braking every time.  In the transition period while some cars
> had it and some didn't, you have this paradoxical increased risk.
>


Another thought is that once self-drivers become common and the algos
have improved and there is automatic car-to-car communication, then
there will be no need for speed limits or traffic lights. The algos
will always drive safely according to the conditions, but that could
be at very high speeds. It would be amazing to see them performing
beyond human capabilities.


BillK