Guilt Without Fault: Accidental Agency in the Era of Autonomous Vehicles

This research conducted three studies to address the questions of guilt and fault when autonomous vehicles (AVs) are involved in traffic accidents. Study 1 examined which specific emotions the occupants of AVs might feel if their vehicle were in an accident and whether these emotions differ from those a driver of a conventional vehicle would feel. Study 2 asked the question whether, if AV passengers reported feeling guilty, did they also deny that they should feel guilty? The study explored this question from the point of view of both the agent and the observer. Study 3 assessed participants' insights on the legal liability of AV passengers in traffic accidents involving the injury or death of passengers or pedestrians. Study 1 revealed that judgments of responsibility are most strongly associated with the emotion of guilt versus other emotions. Studies 2 and 3 confirmed that people do impute guilt to AV passengers involved in accidents, even though they support the control principle, which indicates that people should not feel guilt for events beyond their control. In addition, Study 3 showed that AV passengers were seen as more legally liable than either passengers or drivers in a conventional vehicle. These findings uncover important implications for decision making about legal liability.

• Record URL:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11948-022-00363-8
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13533452
• Authors:
  • Aguiar, Fernando
  • Hannikainen, Ivar R
  • Aguilar, Pilar
  • 0000-0003-0032-6273
• Publication Date: 2022-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: 22p
• Serial:
  • Science and Engineering Ethics
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Springer Publishing
  • ISSN: 1353-3452
  • EISSN: 1471-5546
  • Serial URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/1353-3452/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Emotions; Ethics; Liability; Traffic crashes; Vehicle occupants
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01852243
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 21 2022 11:32AM