Reader poll: Should an autonomous car be able to drive w/o a human passenger?

Image by Robert Lachenman

A couple of months ago, we asked our readers whether three different unlicensed groups of individuals should be able to ride in autonomous cars alone. The individuals were: a child under the legal driving age, a senior who is no longer licensed to drive, and a legally blind person.

One of the most interesting results from the poll was that people are not as supportive of having children ride the cars alone than they are about a senior or a blind person. Discussions that ensued from this with the Robohub editor, Hallie Siegel, was whether people’s sentiment will be different about a car that drives without a passenger, or a passenger who are drunk or under the influence of drugs.

Let us know what you think by answering the quick three questions below:

Open Roboethics Initiative is a roboethics thinktank concerned with studying robotics-related design and policy issues.

Open Roboethics Initiative is a roboethics thinktank concerned with studying robotics-related design and policy issues.