Just because an autonomous car does all the driving for you, doesn’t always make it a good driver. What happens if it gets you a parking ticket or it makes a mistake and human lives are put in harms way? That’s the question that the New York Times raised, and one that will keep lawmakers busy until that day comes.
The figures suggest that we have five years before self-driving cars creepily drive themselves into dealerships (perhaps literally straight through a dealership), but hopefully lawmakers will get on the ball before then.
In regards to parking fines or driving tickets, it’s likely that the owner will remain responsible, even if he or she hadn’t parked precariously or driven over the speed limit. If a crash injures or kills someone, the blame will be put on the manufacturer – a slippery slope in itself.
However, criminal penalties present the real snafu for lawmakers. How do you prove that a robot has a guilty mind or a particular mental state that transpires into criminal negligence? That first case is going to be a real landmark trial.
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[via NYT]
