Moral debate: What is the right call in this scenario?

[HawkPerception]

Imagine a future where self driven cars are the norm. A self driving car carrying a family suddenly faces a life threatening situation where it must decide between 2 unavoidable accidents. Should it prioritize saving the occupants of the car, potentially causing harm to pedestrians, or prioritize the safety of pedestrians, possibly causing harm to the occupants of the car?

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Generally I think the most agreeable solution at least in the early stages is to avoid doing anything fancy. Don't swerve off the road onto a sidewalk, don't do any hand-brake turns, don't Tokyo drift, just keep it simple and come to a halt.

It's what I suspect would be most agreeable to our human nature and least likely to stir up a panic and a potential PR nightmare for the manufacturers.

[KrakenAttackin]

If I paid for the fucking car it had better prioritize saving me.

[HawkPerception]

Lmfao I agree with that, but it's highly likely that in a future where self driving cars are the norms, it would work more on a taxi like system

[LRSJame]

Hawk
What is a "taxi system?"

[LRSJame]

Krak,

Funny. lol

[NathanDavis]

the family paid for the car... so the car should "serve" those who paid

however the company could have chose to avoid bigger lawsuits... and could avoid killing pedestrians and include those small font letters... "you're willingly accepting that you can die in our car during an accident"

[RebelinSteel]

Just mow down the pedestrians, then look for more. Because of the safety around self driving, it sort of rules itself out as a mode of transport.

[DizzyDesii]

Sounds like a scene from irobot. I dont trust self driving cars nor tech that uh

[HawkPerception]

Okay but try to imagine you're in a future where that's all that's available to you. What do you think would be the right call?

[DizzyDesii]

The car will likely protect its owner just like the robot in irobot. The car won't have sense enough to do the greater good

[LRSJame]

Dizzy
The car will have the sense if it's programmed that way. I've read that the AI would also consider the age of the victim (s) it will kill.

[purplepoppy]

In a collision less injury will be caused to the inhabitants thanks to seat belts air bags etc.

[CozyCoffin]

The car would be working in the best interest of the company that made it and thus whomever would be a less amount of legal costs for them.

[JacobJordan]

Pedestrians hands down. Cars have safety features to protect the inhabitants for a reason

[dreamstar72]

It’s a family bond and family comes first.

[Pohjolan]

Whichever option has more braking distance.