The Safety of Autonomous Vehicles: Lessons from Philosophy of Science

The safety argument is perhaps the most widely cited argument in favor of the rapid development and widespread adoption of automated vehicles (AVs). Versions of this argument promote the development and use of AVs on the grounds that these vehicles will have much lower crash, injury, or fatality rates than human drivers. (Throughout this essay, I assume that AVs are designed to respond to malfunctions and hazards without human intervention, corresponding to level 4 or 5 automation [1].) For example, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, announced in September 2016, gives the safety argument as its first, and most well-developed, argument in support of AVs.