An Analysis of the Benefits, Ethics, Morality, Security, And Legality of Self-driving Cars. Chris Richardson. George Mason University

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1 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 1 An Analysis of the Benefits, Ethics, Morality, Security, And Legality of Self-driving Cars Chris Richardson George Mason University "By placing this statement on my webpage, I certify that I have read and understand the GMU Honor Code on and as stated, I as student member of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work. In addition, I have received permission from the copyright holder for any copyrighted material that is displayed on my site. This includes quoting extensive amounts of text, any material copied directly from a web page and graphics/pictures that are copyrighted. This project or subject material has not been used in another class by me or any other student. Finally, I certify that this site is not for commercial purposes, which is a violation of the George Mason Responsible Use of Computing (RUC) Policy posted on web site."

2 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 2 An Analysis of the Benefits, Ethics, Morality, Security, And Legality of Self-driving Cars Self-driving cars are becoming prevalent in the news and media as our world prepares to make a major transition from human-driven to fully autonomous vehicles. This essay attempts to explain some of the issues that are involved with implementing self-driving vehicles into our society. These include social, legal, ethical, and moral issues. It will also explain the various benefits that will come with self-driving vehicles. Background The technology to be used in self-driving cars is already being designed by numerous companies including Google and Tesla. The vehicles currently being developed and tested on roads throughout the United States rely on technology such as sensors and GPS. According to Bailey (2014), TESLA, Nissan, Google, and several carmakers have declared that they will have self-driving cars on the highways before the end of this decade (p. 18). The potential good that these self-driving cars could do for the world seems limitless. Our entire way of transportation could be revolutionized with the advancements in technology that will be developed in the coming decade. There are countless benefits that could come with the technological innovation of self-driving cars. Potential Benefits Overview of Benefits The potential benefits that will come with self-driving cars are numerous and farreaching. Individuals previously unable to safely drive themselves from place to place on their own will become mobile again. Driving under the influence will no longer be a concern as

3 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 3 vehicles are no longer under the control of people under the influence. The benefits of selfdriving cars have the potential to come in the form of safety, mobility and productivity. Safety Benefits of Self-Driving Cars Self-Driving cars have the potential to save countless lives. According to Lutin (2013), Worldwide, 1.24 million people were killed on roads in 2010 (p. 28). This figure would decrease exponentially with the implementation of self-driving cars onto our roadways. As cars become smarter, car accidents as a result of human error will decline significantly in number. Even now, technologies such as auto-brake systems are already working to reduce the number of accidents caused by driver error. Beene (2015) found that vehicles will include automatic brakes as a standard feature in the near future (p. 1). Automatic break systems are only the beginning. As more innovations come about, the amount of accidents caused be human error will decrease and eventually cease to be a threat. Mobility Benefits of Self-Driving Cars. As time progresses, more and more people attain the status of senior citizen. With this title, according to Lutin (2013), comes changes in visual acuity, flexibility, strength, reaction time, and memory (p. 28). This creates unsafe driving conditions not only for the driver, but for every other vehicle in close proximity to the driver. With the innovation of self-driving cars, the elderly would be able to get from place to place in a safe and secure manner, thus eliminating the coordination degradation that comes with age. The benefits of self-driving cars are not limited to the elderly. Any disabled person or person unable to drive a car on their own for any reason would be able to enjoy the mobility of a fully licensed and capable driver.

4 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 4 Productivity Benefits of Self-Driving Cars. Self-Driving cars would eliminate the need to spend one s time and energy focusing on the road. Instead, time could be used for business, school work, or other things. According to Lutin (2013), being able to send goods and passengers from origin to destination without a driver would significantly reduce labor costs (p. 29). Self-Driving cars reduce the time cost of driving. Time could be spent constructively on other productive activities. Rather than investing energy into transportation, people would be able to multitask. They would have the ability to conduct business and perform work duties while on the go. Meetings could be held within cars. The possibilities that would come with self-driving cars are huge in number and vast in application. Moral and Ethical Issues Moral and Ethical Overview Inevitably, there are certain choices that self-driving vehicles will have to make at one point or another. In the event of an unavoidable accident, the car will be responsible for making decisions to minimize the impact of the crash. These decisions will be a reflection of the artificial morality that will need to be programmed into the vehicles of the future. Some decisions to be made by these vehicles will be especially difficult. Moral Issues For instance, in the event a car must avoid a head-on collision, a car may have to choose between hitting another car and hitting a pedestrian. This would probably be a very rare incident, however, and this type of choice may not need to be made often. According to Bailey (2014), Google, whose autonomous vehicles have traveled more than 700,000 miles so far with only one accident (when a human driver rear-ended the car) has had minimal incidents come up in

5 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 5 test-drives of driverless cars thus far (p. 18). Still, self-driving car developers will have to plan for accidents no matter how rare they occur. The morality of driverless cars is something that will have to be developed extensively and options will need to be quickly weighed. Vehicles will need to minimize damage in order to replicate the human morality that is factored into decision making. Ethical Issues. As put by Nelson (2015), the self-driving cars of the future will decide who will live and who will die (p. 1). Cars of today already make ethical choices. Nelson (2015) found that Google s self-driving cars will shift within its lane slightly in order to give more space to cyclists. That is one of the ethical choices it must make (p. 1). Ethical choices involve sacrificing mobility for ensuring the safety of other parties. Once a vehicle such as Google s driverless car calculates the risk involved with making a maneuver, it will either execute the maneuver or decide against it. Options are carefully weighed by the vehicle using complex software, and the resulting action is considered the safest. This sort of calculation is how self-driving cars make ethical decisions. Legal Issues With these moral and ethical concerns come legal problems. After a self-driving car is involved in an accident, there could be a debate on who should be responsible between the driver and manufacturer. According to Bailey (2014), A RAND Corporation study suggests one way to handle responsibility for accidents might be to extend a no-fault liability system (18). This particular method might be particularly attractive to some people. A car crash involving two selfdriving cars would be out of the control of both parties involved. The cars would be in control, and thus any accidents occurring would be caused by the vehicle itself. A no-fault liability

6 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 6 system would allow each parties individual car insurance to cover the damage on their own vehicle. Another option, as pointed out by Bailey (2014), would be to assume that the owner of the vehicle is responsible for the control of the vehicle at all times, including during a crash. This would place the fault on the driver, and would not greatly change the current liability system in place today (p. 18). Because these self-driving cars are being developed with multiple cameras and sensors, determining what happened during a collision could be made much easier. Accidents could potentially be recorded by these cameras and sensors. The legality and liability involved with self-driving cars is still being discussed by lawmakers, car companies, and regular people. Lawmakers will be forced to make decisions about liability in the near-future when self-driving cars begin to hit the streets in large quantities. For now, there is still time to ponder these legal questions. Security Concerns Ensuring the security of self-driving cars will be essential to their success. Self-driving cars, like other forms of technology such as computers, have the potential to be hacked into. This could allow a car to be overtaken. According to Duca (2015), hackers may be able to conduct a complete remote hijacking of a moving vehicle for malicious purposes. This style of seizing control of a vehicle is already happening. For example, Duca (2015) pointed out that a moving Jeep Grand Cherokee was taken over by two cyber-security researches at a range of 10 kilometers away. One can only imagine what a skilled hacker might be capable of if they managed to take control of a fleet of self-driving cars. Vehicles need to be developed with this in mind. It is of the utmost importance that vehicles remain in control of themselves without any third-party interaction. The passengers within a vehicle should feel safe while traveling.

7 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 7 Social Problems There is a distrust in the technology that allows self-driving cars to work. Many people are still unsure about self-driving cars. According to EFYTimes (2015), IEEE released global survey results indicating a number of challenges in regards to the future of driverless vehicles. The challenges that this survey focused on were the concerns of average people in regard to selfdriving cars. The EFYTimes (2015) found that respondents indicated that they wouldn t feel comfortable with driverless vehicles transporting their children. The technology is yet to be proven in the eyes of many people. Trust in self-driving cars is something that will need to be earned over time before the majority of people are prepared to make this major transportation transition. Social issues revolving around self-driving cars are rooted in safety. People want to feel safe and secure in their vehicles. As found by The EFYTimes (2015), environment, regulations and consumer acceptance will be key drivers to its success. The technology for self-driving cars is being further developed daily. However, the success of this technology will ultimately be determined by the market. The self-driving car will thrive if consumers accept and trust the technology. Further Research There is still work to be done before there is a mass-movement towards self-driving cars. The technology that allows self-driving cars to be fully autonomous is still being developed and perfected. Stated by the EFYTimes (2015), we are absolutely going to be seeing driverless vehicles on the road in the near future, possibly in as little as five years. Companies such as Google and Tesla will need to continue testing their cars on the road for a while more to ensure safety. Security will need to be enhanced and extremely tight to ensure that those riding in self-

8 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 8 driving cars are not overtaken by hackers. GPS will need to be refined and more precise; the technology is still not perfected, but it is improving every day. Conclusion Self-driving cars are well on their way to becoming an everyday reality for the modern world. Technology is being improved upon everyday by multiple companies in competition with one another. The potential for a world of greater mobility is growing. Although there are social, ethical, legal, moral and other issues involved, it is only a matter of time before self-driving cars realize their full potential. Over the coming years, trust in the technology will grow. The benefits will be realized. The problems will be solved. The stage is set for a revolution, and our world will witness a tremendous shift in the way we travel.

9 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 9 Annotated Bibliography Bailey, R. (2014, Aug). The moral case for self-driving cars. Reason, 46, Retrieved from This source explains some of the moral issues associated with self-driving cars. It talks about the decisions cars will need to make if a crash is inevitable. It also explains that this situation is rare. It goes over how car ownership will change with the invention of the self-driving car. This source is from a magazine and recounts information published by Google. It probably contains bias but likely has accurate statistics and figures. Nelson, G. (2015). Self-driving cars make ethical choices. Automotive News, 89(6681), 12. Retrieved from This source examines the ethical choices that self-driving cars have to make and already make. It explains that certain choices about how to position a car are a result of ethical choices. The car must decide to avoid pedestrians even at the expense of the safety of the occupants if necessary. This source is from the journal Automotive News and pulls information from studies from Stanford. Because it is from a journal and pulls data from Stanford, it seems to be an accurate and reliable source. Lutin, Jerome M, PHD,P.E., A.I.C.P., Kornhauser, A. L., P.H.D., & Lerner-Lam, E. (2013). The revolutionary development of self-driving vehicles and implications for the transportation engineering profession. Institute of Transportation Engineers.ITE Journal, 83(7), Retrieved from

10 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 10 This journal covers some of the potential benefits that will come with self-driving cars. Some of these include more efficient commute times, ability for elderly to drive, ability for young to drive, and other things. This source explains how certain things will be possible thanks to self-driving cars such as quicker commute times. It also delves into other categories of benefits that stem from self-driving cars such as productivity. This is a scholarly journal so it is a legitimate source. Duca, S. (2015, Dec 19). Security must drive design of driverless cars. The Straits Times Retrieved from This is a newspaper source documenting some of the security concerns of self-driving cars. This source explains why cyber security is important for self-driving cars. Terrorist groups could potentially remotely hijack cars and put the lives of others at stake. It explains that cars must be properly secured in order to protect people who use this new technology. This source has no quantitative date to source, but it does have in-depth information about self-driving car security concerns. It documents concerns well. Fletcher, M. A. (2015, Winter). ROAD TO THE FUTURE GOOGLE, OTHERS PAVE WAY FOR SELF-DRIVING CARS. US Black Engineer and Information Technology, 39, Retrieved from This source discusses the future of self-driving cars, as well as some of the legal issues that will come with self-driving cars. One major legal question of self-driving cars is who will be liable for a collision: the company or the driver? This addresses that question but does not necessarily offer a definitive solution. This source merely spectates at some of

11 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 11 the options that may be chosen from. This is from an engineering magazine that is well written and in-depth. Yadron, D. (2015, Aug 28). Uber hires two hackers to work on self-driving cars' defenses; the ride-hailing company confirmed the hire of security researchers known for hacking into a jeep cherokee's system. Wall Street Journal (Online) Retrieved from This short article talks about Uber hiring hackers to find holes in security. The hackers were made famous for hacking into a Jeep s entertainment system. The company seeks to use their knowledge to improve their own security. With this knowledge, the defense against security breaches will be strengthened. This is from the Wall Street Journal, a reliable and well-known source. Pritchard, J. (2014, Nov 20). Self-driving cars run head-on into ethics debate. Spartanburg Herald - Journal Retrieved from This journal assesses some of the ethical issues involved with self-driving cars. It analyzes decision making that will be done by cars to determine the best thing to do in certain unavoidable situations. What the vehicle hits is no longer under the discretion of the driver. This journal pulls information from credible sources such as the University of Southern California. It is a legitimate source that I will be able to use with confidence.

12 AN ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS, ETHICS, MORALITY 12 IEEE survey indicates when it comes to driverless cars - you can take me, but not my kids. (2015, Oct 21). EFYTimes.Com, Retrieved from This source pulls data from a survey on some of the social aspects of self-driving cars. The data shows that parents would not feel safe allowing their children to be driven alone in self-driving cars. Distrust in the technology was also a prominent concern among those surveyed. This online newspaper pulled data from an IEEE survey, a large and trusted technological advancement organization. It can be trusted. This survey pulls raw information from people of different backgrounds. Their perspectives provide valuable insight. Beene, R. (2015). Automatic brakes on fast track. Automotive News, 89(6690), 1. Retrieved from This source explains how automatic breaks are becoming an industry-standard feature in new cars. This will be useful for my essay as it marks a transition from human-driven to semi-autonomous cars. I will use it as a safety feature for my paper. It pulls information from Volkswagen and General Motors, so it is reliably coming from the source of vehicle manufacturers. This source will be useful in pointing out how self-driving cars develop in stages. The technology is being phased in rather than switched over all at once.

The Era of Self-Driving Cars 1. The Era of Self-Driving Cars. Michael Parker-Bell. Information Technology George Mason University

The Era of Self-Driving Cars 1 The Era of Self-Driving Cars Michael Parker-Bell Information Technology 104-006 George Mason University March 2nd, 2017 "By placing this statement on my webpage, I certify