Why the Trolley Dilemma Is a Terrible Model for Trying to Make Self-Driving Cars Safer
The famous thought experiment has been applied to the development of autonomous vehicles, but it’s considered extremely flawed
By Marcus Baram
The flowers and stuffed teddy bears of the makeshift memorial may be gone, but grief and trauma still haunt the intersection of 5th Avenue and 9th Street in Brooklyn’s Park Slope.
It was the scene of a horrific tragedy last year, in which a seizure-prone woman ran a red light and ran over and killed two young kids in a crosswalk. Compounding the tragedy, the pregnant mother of one of the victims lost her baby, and the driver committed suicide months later. The intersection is cursed: Just a few years earlier, an unlicensed cab driver jumped the curb and plowed down an elderly woman and our building’s handyman, sending them both to the hospital. I saw the footage captured by a security camera at a local bodega, and the suddenness and brutality of the accident is like something out of a silent movie without the musical accompaniment.
The incident shocked the neighborhood, prompting safety improvements and the occasional presence of a traffic cop. Yet every time I drive through the intersection with my…
