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New recommendations for a safe and ethical transition towards driverless mobility published

New recommendations for a safe and ethical transition towards driverless mobility published

29 September 2020

On 18 September 2020, the European Commission published a report by the Independent Expert Group on the Ethics of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). Who should be responsible in case of an accident where there is no human driver? How can ethical and responsible data sharing by CAVs be ensured? Are pedestrians and cyclists more at risk with CAVs in traffic? In this report, the Expert Group propose twenty recommendations on road safety, privacy AI explainability, fairness and responsibility for the deployment and development of CAVs.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth said: “Technological progress alone will not be sufficient for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) to achieve their potential.  From inception to use, the timely and systematic integration of ethical principles will be essential to align this emerging technology with our societal values and needs. I welcome the independent Expert Group’s report and encourage researchers, policymakers, manufacturers and deployers to follow-up on its practical recommendations to ensure the safe, ethical and responsible transition towards connected and automated mobility“.

With the strategy on Connected and Automated Mobility, the European Commission aims to make Europe a leader in the deployment and development of connected and automated vehicles. The vehicles can decrease the number of road fatalities to near a near zero, while increasing the accessibility of mobility services and reducing harmful emissions from transport by making traffic more efficient.

To reach this ideal goal, a number of technical, regulatory and societal challenges have been addressed before safely deploying CAVs. The report of the Independent Expert Group formulates 20 recommendations to support researchers, policymakers, manufacturers and deployers in reaching this goal.

To read the full report click here, for the factsheet click here and for the infographic here.

Find out more.