Self-Driving Car Developers Should Put Pedestrians First

Since March, when an autonomous vehicle killed a pedestrian in Arizona, forecasts for AVs have been decidedly less optimistic. But autonomous vehicle promoters are undeterred. AI entrepreneur Andrew Ng contends that self-driving cars will be safe for pedestrians when walkers and cyclists conform to their limitations. "What we tell people is, 'Please be lawful and please be considerate,'" he told Bloomberg. Peter Norton is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia. He is the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City.