Are self-driving cars safe?

Over the last several decades, cars have added a new passenger - computers. With features such as cruise control and automatic braking, technology is an integral part of our lives on the road. Automakers have been testing self-driving vehicles with less and less intervention by back-up human drivers. Now that driverless cars have been tested out on real roads and have been involved in some real accidents, many are questioning if these vehicles are safe enough to interact with humans.

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Additional resources to think about

In a crash, should self-driving cars save passengers or pedestrians? 2 million people weigh in
In this PBS NewsHour article, read how scientists are using survey data from the “Moral Machine” in order to program ethical reasoning into autonomous vehicles.

IIHS Study: Autonomous cars won’t avoid majority of vehicle crashes
This article from Car and Driver dives into one study that suggests self-driving cars will still crash if they are programmed to be more aggressive than safe.

Moral Machine | MIT Media Lab
Respond to scenarios in the “Moral Machine” and see how your answers compare to other participants.

Testing Self-Driving Cars in the Real World | NOVA
Ultimately, the only way to know how a car will perform on public roads is to test it in the real world. Watch self-driving cars take their scientists out for a spin.

Automated Vehicles for Safety
Explore the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency (NHTSA)'s website detailing the history, present, and future of automated driving technology.

contemplate

Who created this message?

What kind of “text” is it?
How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)?
What’s the emotional appeal?
What makes it seem “real?”
What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

How many other interpretations could there be?
How could we hear about them?
How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
What ideas or perspectives are left out?
How would you find what’s missing?
What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

Why is this message being sent?

What's being sold in this message? What's being told?
Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?

5 Key Questions of Media Literacy used with permission from the Center for Media Literacy.
Copyright 2002-2021, Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.com

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