Environmental, Safety, Legal and Societal Implications of Autonomous Driving Systems

The concept of autonomous driving opens up for many opportunities but, at the same time, raises concerns and issues for discussion that need to be analyzed and penetrated before a more broad roll-out of autonomously driven vehicles on public roads can be attempted. Among the obvious potential benefits for the society are improved fuel economy, enhanced safety and reduced congestion. There are, however, also potential benefits in offering mobility to the physically challenged, reduced need for infrastructure investments, more efficient use of the urban landscape and individual benefits with more efficient use of the time spent in the car. Driving in autonomous mode opens up for using the time for other useful occupations, e.g. working, relaxing, eating, etc. Many obstacles remain before autonomous driving can be a part of transportation on public roads. In Europe an intense debate is discussing the implications of the Vienna Convention, which governs the framework for the requirements on the driver, and the legality of not having the driver in control of the vehicle. In the US, activities within the states are opening up for autonomous driving testing on public roads under certain provisions, but there is an obvious risk of causing fragmentation by creating deviating requirements. Sorting out the liability issues will be one of the major challenges before autonomous driving on public roads can be a reality. Present national laws in some countries do require a person in form of the driver to be liable in the case of an incident or a crash. For higher levels of autonomous driving, liability needs to rest with the manufacturers or another entity not in the form of a person and should be reflected in national liability legislation.

• Record URL:
  http://www-esv.nhtsa.dot.gov/Proceedings/23/isv7/main.htm
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Eugensson, Anders
  • Brännström, Mattias
  • Frasher, Doug
  • Rothoff, Marcus
  • Solyom, Stefan
  • Robertsson, Alexander
• Conference:
  • 23rd International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV)
  • Location: Seoul , Korea, South
  • Date: 2013-5-27 to 2013-5-30
• Publication Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: 23rd International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV): Research Collaboration to Benefit Safety of All Road Users

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefits; Intelligent vehicles; Legal factors; Liability; Policy, legislation and regulation
• Identifier Terms: Vienna Convention
• Geographic Terms: Europe; United States
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01570451
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-0467
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 21 2015 4:15PM