#164-EU's safest vehicle; when do we ban human drivers; EVs as a roadmap for AVs

Marc Hoag AI Law Pod (formerly Autonomous Cars with Marc Hoag)

Today: We discuss the results of a study by Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP to crown Europe's safest vehicle (spoiler alert: it's not Tesla); when do we ban human driven vehicles; and we consider the path to EVs as a roadmap for AVs. All this... right now.

Europe's safest vehicle

A recent study was just published from Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP that sought to determine the safest vehicle you can buy for public roads. Somewhat surprisingly (or not?), the winner was not a Tesla. In fact, while Tesla scored highest in two categories, it scored abysmally low in one category, and the crown ultimately went to...

When do we ban human drivers?

The first question is whether we need to ban human drivers; and when you consider the appalling loss of human life around the world -- 1.25 million deaths caused by vehicle accidents, 94% of which are cause by human error -- it seems inconceivable not to ban them. But still, the question becomes when, and how do we do so.

EVs as a roadmap for AVs

The recent ban on ICE vehicles by 2035 announced by California's Governor Gavin Newsom may offer a sort of roadmap, suggests American University Professorial Lecturer Selika Josiah Talbott, closely echoing what I've often suggested as well, that EV production and market penetration will serve as an extremely meaningful proxy for AVs.

Suggested reading:

• Ten years on from the blogpost that triggered the AV revolution, by Nick Reed, PhD
• Are autonomous vehicles safer than manually operated vehicles?, by Jeffrey Everson, PhD