From: Center for Democracy and Technology
This post was authored by CDT summer intern Apratim Vidyarthi. You can find him on Twitter.
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The resulting National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) investigation has increased attention to the regulatory framework around such systems, followed by troubling proposals worldwide, from Germany’s proposal to put black boxes in semi-autonomous cars, to the Chinese ban on semi-autonomous cars. Such hasty regulatory actions could set back semi-autonomous driving technology, which has the potential to improve fuel economy, reduce accidents, and reduce congestion. While the conversation has been shaped by recent accidents, important underlying issues must be addressed in order to make autonomous cars less like those in Total Recall – where self-driving cars are so frustrating that humans revert back to normal cars – and more like those in Minority Report or, if we’re dreaming big, Batman – where cars can do everything and we can focus on relaxing or hunting down villains.
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There are a number of pressing issues in autonomous vehicle policy. First, the regulation of semi-autonomous cars and what standards manufacturers should be held to. Second, the concept of including black boxes in cars, and dealing with other privacy-related issues arising from the development of self-driving cars. And finally, the conversation around developing infrastructure to facilitate the growth of autonomous cars.
How to Regulate Autonomous Cars and Design Safety Standards
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