How does getting into an accident with an autonomous vehicle work? You're supposed to exchange information with the other driver - with whom are you exchanging information? If an AV detects that someone is injured, will it call for help? What if an EV is breaking traffic laws, how does law enforcement stop the vehicle to prevent further infractions? Who gets the citation? Can an AV be charged with abduction if it traps someone in the vehicle and takes them someplace they didn't intend to go?
It seems like there are a lot of questions people aren't even thinking about.
It's less that people don't think about it, and more that it's a complex scenario (as is human car accidents) with a lot of undesirable outcomes.
The liability of the driver depends on whether you're in a no-fault or an at-fault state, at least in America. With more serious accidents it might be possible to sue, and in that case the driver relying on autonomy will probably be treated no different than someone using cruise-control. I see no reason that someone using a self-driving car should be exempted from situational awareness if the outcome is serious injury. On top of that, your insurance provider sure as hell won't care who's fault it is and would likely bump your premium up a few hundred dollars.
> Can an AV be charged with abduction if it traps someone in the vehicle and takes them someplace they didn't intend to go?
If I'm not mistaken, all current self-driving vehicles require the user to be able to stop the vehicle or take manual control when they want. This would probably be considered a violation of that requirement instead of "abduction" or something fanciful.
But we're now adding the dimension of autonomous taxi service to the equation. I'm not the driver, I'm the customer. I don't think we're ready for this.
With regards to my owning and operating a vehicle having technology such as FSD - heck no, I'm not signing up for liability for what a software engineer did. As far as the human being able to "take over" and react in time, yeah, studies are showing we really suck at that. If we're not actively driving, then we're not actively paying enough attention to be able to take over in an emergency. If I have to sit there with hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times anyway, then I may as well drive.
Obviously some people want them. The problem is they are not indispensable so we wait to see if most people want them. It will come down to cost, does it fit my lifestyle, do I trust it, what real benefit do I get? It might just turn out to be 3D TV/goggles all over again.
Personally I walk or use public transport whenever I can. So not my lifestyle, but I would probably be OK with autonomous busses ... actually hold that thought, I want someone on board who can deal with situations inside or outside the bus, so probably not.
It seems like there are a lot of questions people aren't even thinking about.