Chelsea Cao ‘28
The power of the engine, the comfort of the interior, and the grip and handling of the wheel for generations have defined the quality of the driving experience. In a country in which driving a car is synonymous with freedom and independence, the notion of the autonomous vehicle can be strange and disconcerting, to say the least. However, the age of the autonomous vehicle is drawing near. The idea of the self-driving vehicle is not without its merits. It has the potential to save time and lives. One of the pioneers of this new technology, Elon Musk, has invented an autonomous taxi, called Robotaxi. The technology behind it is creative and advanced: it uses Cameria, which allows the cars to “see” the traffic lights and “read” signs on the road, Radar, which uses radio waves to measure speed and distance, and LiDar, which uses lasers to create a 3D map of the surrounding environment. You may have seen them on the news, or maybe even had the eerie experience of passing one on the road. However, the question remains: does this technology promise a brighter, safer, more efficient future of transportation, or are we creating a future filled with unforeseen problems?
For all autonomous machines, the main concern is safety. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), there were 3,275 traffic fatalities and 324,819 injuries due to distracted driving in 2023 (“Distracted Driving | Traffic Safety Marketing”). On the other hand, with its sophisticated sensors and complex algorithms, the Robotaxi will never experience the physical limits of the human body: getting tired, angry, sleepy, or distracted. More specifically, it will rigorously follow traffic laws, never falling prey to road rage or drunken driving. From this perspective, the use of automated vehicles could reduce the traffic accidents caused by distractions and other human errors.
On the other hand, people opposed to this new technology criticize its safety record. Unfortunately, since Robotaxi began serving the public in June of this year, several accidents have been reported. According to the posts on NBC News, the sensors of the Full Self-Driving Software (FSD) of the Robotaxi failed to detect the oncoming train when the driver, Italo Frigoli, was crossing the railway (Ingram). If Mr. Frigoli had not manually stopped the car, the autonomous system would have driven him into the approaching train, likely resulting in serious injury or death. If this were the only case, then there wouldn’t be much cause for concern. However, there were six other incidents that encountered the same issue. As a result, scientists and experts criticize the Robotaxi as an impending “disaster.”
The final issue is the ethical dilemma that the vehicles will face. The most popular example is the famous “trolley problem,” in which a person must choose between saving their child or five innocent victims. In a situation when a crash is unavoidable, how will the car be able to make such a choice? Should it choose to prioritize the larger number of people or to protect its own passengers? These moral questions are not easy to answer. Obviously, this is not merely an academic question, as there are very real scenarios that must be taken into account by the engineers who design and the government officials who legislate this technology.
Innovators like Elon Musk have a strong ambition to improve our world; however, ambition alone won’t solve the challenges and complicated issues that such technology inevitably poses. It requires careful revision, continuous testing, and a willingness to address the complex social and ethical issues. Only when technology, society, and ethics move forward together can Robotaxi be introduced to the public.