Driverless cars.
March 4, 2017 8:25 AM Subscribe
If you are the sole passenger in a driverless car, could you ride in a carpool/HOV lane? (And other Driverless car questions: contains murder!)
Does an autonomous vehicle qualify as the driver? If it was speeding who would get the ticket? In a fender bender where you are injured, who is liable? How does that change whether you own the car or whether you don't own the car? If the car is programmed with greater good clause and knowingly kills you instead of a group of pedestrians, is it manslaughter or murder?
Does an autonomous vehicle qualify as the driver? If it was speeding who would get the ticket? In a fender bender where you are injured, who is liable? How does that change whether you own the car or whether you don't own the car? If the car is programmed with greater good clause and knowingly kills you instead of a group of pedestrians, is it manslaughter or murder?
There are researchers working on all these issues, but these are giant questions with even gianter implications. "Driverless car ethics" would be good keywords to start searching.
posted by lazuli at 9:43 AM on March 4, 2017
posted by lazuli at 9:43 AM on March 4, 2017
The first question is theoretically pretty easy. Here's an example of an occupancy rule for an HOV lane. Ontario's specifically, but they're likely all pretty similar.
2. (1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle in a high occupancy vehicle lane unless the vehicle has at least two persons occupying seating positions.
However, there are added complications. It's like that the first major roll-out of driverless cars will be as taxis or Ubers or similar, and many jurisdictions offer an exception for licensed taxi services:
(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), a person may operate a motor vehicle in a high occupancy vehicle lane with only one person occupying a seating position if the requirements of one of the following paragraphs are satisfied:
8. The vehicle is a taxicab or limousine that,
i. is being operated by a person who has a valid licence, permit or authorization issued by a municipality or airport authority to operate the vehicle for the purpose of providing passenger transportation services, and
ii. has mounted on the rear of the vehicle a valid plate bearing an identification number issued by the municipality or airport authority for the use of the vehicle for that purpose.
It is fairly likely that the enabling legislation for driverless taxis will legally allow them to be treated in a manner like driven taxis, which might make this exception available to them. Or maybe no one will think of this. Or maybe it will be Uber that rolls them out, and they may or may not be licensed so it may or may not apply.
As an added note, many jurisdictions allow green cars to use their HOV lanes unrestricted. Are driverless cars likely to be electric or hybrid? Seems like a fairly high chance they will be. In that case, they fit under this exception:
7. The person is operating a motor vehicle to which are attached valid number plates that,
i. are issued by the Ministry,
ii. have green lettering on a white background, and
iii. display the words “GREEN VEHICLE” or “VÉHICULE ÉCOLOGIQUE”.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:20 AM on March 4, 2017
2. (1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle in a high occupancy vehicle lane unless the vehicle has at least two persons occupying seating positions.
However, there are added complications. It's like that the first major roll-out of driverless cars will be as taxis or Ubers or similar, and many jurisdictions offer an exception for licensed taxi services:
(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), a person may operate a motor vehicle in a high occupancy vehicle lane with only one person occupying a seating position if the requirements of one of the following paragraphs are satisfied:
8. The vehicle is a taxicab or limousine that,
i. is being operated by a person who has a valid licence, permit or authorization issued by a municipality or airport authority to operate the vehicle for the purpose of providing passenger transportation services, and
ii. has mounted on the rear of the vehicle a valid plate bearing an identification number issued by the municipality or airport authority for the use of the vehicle for that purpose.
It is fairly likely that the enabling legislation for driverless taxis will legally allow them to be treated in a manner like driven taxis, which might make this exception available to them. Or maybe no one will think of this. Or maybe it will be Uber that rolls them out, and they may or may not be licensed so it may or may not apply.
As an added note, many jurisdictions allow green cars to use their HOV lanes unrestricted. Are driverless cars likely to be electric or hybrid? Seems like a fairly high chance they will be. In that case, they fit under this exception:
7. The person is operating a motor vehicle to which are attached valid number plates that,
i. are issued by the Ministry,
ii. have green lettering on a white background, and
iii. display the words “GREEN VEHICLE” or “VÉHICULE ÉCOLOGIQUE”.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:20 AM on March 4, 2017
Best answer: As with any legal question, jurisdiction matters a lot. Some places have laws, some have very different laws, some have no laws, some are planning laws. This is the wild west of transportation, law, and technology, and there is certainly no one single answer to any of your questions.
Fortunately, we have Standford's Wiki on extant and proposed laws about autonomous driving. This is probably the best single place to go on the web for legal questions about driverless cars.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:58 PM on March 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Fortunately, we have Standford's Wiki on extant and proposed laws about autonomous driving. This is probably the best single place to go on the web for legal questions about driverless cars.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:58 PM on March 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Unlikely that robot cars will ever speed, if a hack allows that, the hacker may be in beeg trouble.
Liability will be a whole new area of case law and will probably take years to be worked through the courts. Manufactures of automation currently are responsible for accidents related to defective machines (hardware or software), that principle will likely be extended but with many complex details and specific situations.
There is no "greater good" in any actual autonomous vehicle code. No one knows how to write code like that.
posted by sammyo at 9:16 AM on March 4, 2017 [2 favorites]