Endangering yourself to save another: A real life ethical dilemma

Unlike hypothetical trolley problem studies and an ongoing ethical dilemma with autonomous vehicles, road users can face similar ethical dilemmas in real life. Swerving a heavy vehicle towards the road-side in order to avoid a head-on crash with a much lighter passenger car is often the only option available which could save lives. However, running off-road increases the probability of a roll-over and endangers the life of the heavy vehicle driver. The authors have created an experimental survey study in which heavy vehicle drivers randomly received one of two possible scenarios. The authors found that respondents were more likely to report they would ditch their vehicle in order to save the hypothetical driver who fell asleep than to save the driver who deliberately diverted their car towards the participant’s heavy vehicle. Additionally, the higher the empathy score, the higher the probability of ditching a vehicle. Implications for autonomous vehicle programming are discussed.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2019.05.015
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847818308246
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Radun, I
  • Radun, J
  • Kaistinen, J
  • Olivier, J
  • Kecklund, G
  • Theorell, T
• Publication Date: 2019-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 318-322
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 64
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Decision making; Emotions; Ethics; Experiments; Safety; Truck drivers; Vehicular suicide
• Uncontrolled Terms: Empathy; Swerving
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01707914
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 14 2019 9:28AM