Google and the ethics of the car without driver – BBC

Google, for some time, is testing unmanned cars. For six years, to be exact, he studied on a fleet of over 20 cars that drive themselves and having run at that time, more than a million and a half kilometers, totaling about 15,000 kilometers a week. To date, according to reports Chris Urmson Google site Techcrunch , there have only been 11 “minor incidents”, with slight damage and no injuries, whose fault, according to the manager, not is the car but other “human drivers.”

More details says Urmson to technology site, cars without driver were swabbed seven times, especially at traffic lights, but also on the highway. On other occasions, however, they have suffered crawl to the side and have been bump from vehicles that had not stopped at the stop sign. Most of the incidents took place in the city.

Much of the discussion revolves, understandably, on the theme of security. The famous technologist Alberto Broggi – long experience abroad, former president of the American engineers, founder and director of Vislab, the workshop “Vision and Intelligent Systems”, who for twenty years, in Parma, works on the driverless car , the trail-making test unmanned longest ever (Parma-Shanghai) – speaking recently to Ted Milan, said, “Looking forward, the theme that will soon bring will be that of ethics ‘auto’: because, in some cases, the machine will have to make a choice, precisely, ethics, ie opt for the lesser evil, maybe invest a person to avoid travolgerne two.

Of course, Google has an interest in highlighting the benefits for the safety of a fully automated driving when we’re behind the wheel , it is clear that we can not distract too with advertising board computer (which is part of the company’s business), as a sure guide unmanned would allow us to dedicate ourselves, without risk, to your smartphone or tablet .

To support this thesis, Urmson cites statistics, really terrifying, the number of American motorists that, subtracting attention behind the wheel, devoted to their mobile devices. that Distraction It is now the leading cause of accidents, more of the same speed. At any time of the day, says the manager of Google, America There are 660,000 people who control their own device instead pay attention to the guide. The anecdotal is truly alarming : the safety driver Google see every day, normally, car that lurch, drivers who read books or even play the trumpet. Extreme cases, perhaps typical of American roads, some but more and more popular. With a 360-degree visibility and focuses his attention one hundred percent and in all directions, you can instead safety levels much better , especially in the interest of cyclists and pedestrians that of distraction are the main victims.

The company says Urman, it has already collected such a large amount of data that could use it to prevent situations Dangerous before that accidents happen. The next step of the research could be the use of algorithms to prevent future collisions.

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