I wonder how the cars will deal with inevitable accidents - what does the self driving car prioritise? If there is no choice but to hit one of two different cars does it pick the one with the fewest occupants? Is there calculation of likely injuries (eg bounce off two cars causing less severe injuries to both than hitting one harder). Avoid all other vehicles resulting in more severe injuries to the occupant?
Cars can't stop instantly and the energy has to go somewhere.
This. I am reminded of Isaac Asimov's three robot rules.
I am also led to wonder, who will be implicated if an accident happens? What if the auto-driving car has a bug? Or if it was infected with a virus or hacked? What if the driver deliberately modified a self-driving car to cause injury to a target?
Communication between "smart" cars opens up some good possibilities to increase safety even when the inevitable accident occurs.
Consider: Car #1 suddenly realizes (for whatever reason) it is going to impact car #2 or car #3 at approximately equal energy for either crash, pings both, #3 isn't "smart", no reply. #2 pongs back, car #1 heads for car #2, reports this to #2, car #2 deploys air bags proactively using a lowered-energy inflation mode since there is some advanced warning of the impact and sets its own transmission mode and braking (or lack thereof) to be optimal for safest possible (to inside occupants and other detected cars in the impact area) energy transfer.
Cars can't stop instantly and the energy has to go somewhere.