Jeremy Clarkson's 'Trolley Problem' Question About Driverless Cars From Ages Ago Continues To Pose A Moral Dilemma For Auto Makers

In an episode of Amazon's The Grand Tour, host Jeremy Clarkson stirred debate over how self-driving cars should respond in life-or-death situations. In a conversation with co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond, Clarkson posed a stark question: If an autonomous vehicle must decide between veering into a group of pedestrians or endangering its own passenger, whose life should it prioritize?

What To Know: That quandary, often called the "trolley problem," has shifted from a philosophical exercise to an urgent engineering puzzle. As per a report by Curbed, industry heavyweights such as Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Waymo now face intense scrutiny over how their systems should respond in unavoidable crash situations. Although Mercedes made headlines in 2016 for seemingly hinting it would prioritize driver safety, the company later clarified it seeks "the highest possible level of safety for all road users."

Most autonomous car firms emphasize accident avoidance rather than pre-programmed trade-offs. Per a separate report by Vox, Waymo, for example, has logged over 20 million real-world miles without an at-fault fatal crash, largely through a conservative driving style that aims to prevent dire choices before they arise. Meanwhile, Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" remains in beta testing with drivers expected to supervise at all times, effectively leaving last-second moral calls in human hands.

See also: Uber Teams Up With WeRide To Bring Self-Driving Cars To Dubai

What Does Public Opinion Veer Towards?

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have explored public opinion on these dilemmas through a project known as the "Moral Machine," gathering millions of votes on how a driverless car should act when faced with grim alternatives. Among the findings: Most participants prefer saving more lives over fewer, with a slight bias toward younger pedestrians.

Legalities Remain Murky And Confused

Legal frameworks remain murky. Germany, for instance, has declared it illegal for an autonomous system to discriminate among people in a crash. Elsewhere, regulators have yet to offer definitive guidance on whether responsibility lies with the manufacturer, software developer, or passenger.

Featured Image via Shutterstock

Read next: Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman Tells Senate ‘We Will Prioritize Sending American Astronauts to Mars’