This is the second in a series of thought leadership reports about autonomous vehicles produced by Gowling WLG on behalf of UK Autodrive.

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will be the future of travel, with promises of better mobility, reduced congestion, improved environment and increased safety.

By removing the element of the driver from decision-making processes, CAVs will be a safer mode of travel and significantly reduce road traffic accidents. In order to achieve the economic, mobility and safety benefits of autonomous vehicles, there needs to be an appropriate legal and regulatory framework.

Our white paper, in collaboration with UK Autodrive, explores some of the issues around ethical decision-making by autonomous vehicles and the necessity for urgent regulatory clarity to facilitate development in this area.

This white paper focuses on the ethical element of CAVs (in particular the so-called moral algorithm) and how regulation needs to lay a clear path so that existing and new participants in the market can safely move forward, literally and metaphorically.

The research in this white paper was conducted by BizWord Ltd, an independent business consultancy.

'How to set the moral compass for autonomous vehicles' explores a number of topics covering:

  • A summary of key findings
  • The trolley problem
  • The day-to-day morals of driving
  • The importance of take-up – making and selling a moral alternative
  • Regulating morals

Download our white paper below to find out more about moral decision in autonomous vehicles.

Need further legal advice? Please contact Stuart Young, our head of Automotive.

This white paper forms part of a series of thought leadership reports produced by Gowling WLG on behalf of UK Autodrive. Want to read more in our series? Take a look at our white paper 'Connected and autonomous vehicles, a hacker's delight?'.