MIOIR Seminar Series - Self-driving cars and the rules of the road
| Dates: | 25 April 2022 |
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| Times: | 15:30 - 16:30 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Alliance Manchester Business School |
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| How much: | Free |
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| Speaker: | Jack Stilgoe |
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Join us for the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research Seminar Series 21/22, webinar hosted by Jack Stilgoe, Professor in Science and Technology studies at University College London.
Register to attend via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/manchester-institute-of-innovation-research-professor-jack-stilgoe-tickets-316644832217
Self-driving cars and the rules of the road
Abstract:
Behaviour on the road is ordered by a range of norms, rules, laws, and infrastructures. The introduction of self-driving vehicles onto the road opens a debate about the rules that should govern their actions and how these should be integrated with, or lead to the modification of, existing road rules. In this paper, we analyse the current rules of the road, with a particular focus on the UK's Highway Code, in order to inform future rulemaking. We consider the full range of laws, norms, infrastructures, and technologies that govern interactions on the road and where these came from. The rules have a long history and they contribute to a social order that privileges some modes of mobility over others, reinforcing a culture of automobility that shapes lives, livelihoods and places. The introduction of self-driving vehicles, and the digital code on which they depend, could reorder the culture and concrete of our roads, by flattening the multidimensional rules of the road, hardening rules that are currently soft and standardising across diverse contexts. Future rule changes to accommodate self-driving vehicles may enable increases in safety and accessibility, but the trade-offs demand democratic debate.
Speaker Bio:
Jack Stilgoe is a professor in science and technology studies at University College London, where he researches the governance of emerging technologies. He is principal investigator of the ESRC Driverless Futures project (2019-2021). This project is looking to anticipate the politics of self-driving cars. He worked with EPSRC and ESRC to develop a framework for responsible innovation, which is now being used by the Research Councils. Among other publications, he is the author of ‘Who’s Driving Innovation?’ (2020, Palgrave) and ‘Experiment Earth: Responsible innovation in geoengineering’ (2015, Routledge). He previously worked in science and technology policy at the Royal Society and the think tank Demos. He is a fellow of the Turing Institute.
Speaker
Jack Stilgoe
Role: Professor in Science and Technology Studies
Organisation: University College London
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