Stand Still and Die: Integrating Multi-Stakeholder Communication to Bring Fairness Back to the Autonomous Vehicle Trolley Problem

While rare, it is widely accepted that autonomous vehicles (AVs) will find themselves in dilemma scenarios involving vulnerable road users (VRUs). The ethics of these dilemma situations have been debated extensively in the context of trolley-problem-like scenarios. What has not been noted is the inherent unfairness implicit in many of these discussions, in which VRUs are seen as passive bystanders with no say in what befalls them. Rather than simply remaining still in a collision scenario, VRUs can (and often do) take action that needs to be accounted for. If we are to increase fairness on public roads, it is important that AVs communicate with VRUs. This paper presents a highly theoretical discussion on the possibility of using communication tools (such as the V2X system) and techniques (derived from the science of human-machine interaction) to support protective, risk-reducing responses from VRUs during inevitable AV collisions. The paper begins with a brief ethical exploration of fairness in the context of current debates surrounding AV collisions. We proceed to discuss possible technical solutions to AV-VRU communication, as well as the types of audio, visual, and tactile communication strategies necessary in critical scenarios.