AVs and Safety

The road to the widespread adoption of automated vehicles (AVs) is paved with promises of a safer means of ground transportation. But are such claims overblown? This is precisely the question asked by Diane E. Bailey and Ingrid Erickson in “Selling AI: The Case for Fully Autonomous Vehicles” (Issues, Spring 2019).

Let me state up front that it would be incorrect to say that AVs are the only solution to issues of road safety. It would also be incorrect to say that they are not likely to be a major part of any solution going forward. The potential safety benefits of AVs are difficult to ignore. For example, let’s assume that the use of AVs would save only 50% of the 1.3 million lives their advocates argue would be saved. Many people believe this would more than justify their use.

Unfortunately, much of the rhetoric surrounding AVs is coming from advocates of the technology. These are true believers who clearly assume that AVs are not only the primary but also the sole solution to road safety. It is also difficult to properly critique and discuss the technology for other reasons. In many ways, the technology is still in its infancy and constantly evolving. Further, there is not a clear and widely accepted definition with regard to what is or what is not an AV. For example, many scholars would question whether Tesla’s autopilot system should be considered an AV. This makes it difficult to discuss not only what AVs can do now, but what they might be able to do in the next five to 10 years.

Perhaps a more important question to ask is this: What conditions are needed for AVs to be a part of the solution? For example, what infrastructure changes are needed to promote road safety? This question allows not only for multiple approaches to road safety but also for the inclusion of the social and political realities that are often ignored when numbers such as 1.3 million lives are bandied about. Such questions might help steer the conversation on AVs toward more realistic goals.

Lionel P. Robert Jr.