Nowadays, due to the rapid development of technologies, it becomes more challenging for the government to regulate the production of modernized goods and services. Efforts of Uber (a ride-hailing company) to create a self-driving car can serve as an excellent example of how the law regulates and deals with the introduction of new technologies. In this report, the rules and laws discussed in the article “Uber Self-Driving Cars: Everything you Need to Know,” written by Johnson and Fitzsimmons, will be identified. Also, ethical issues described in the article will be presented.
The article mentioned above narrates the process of the introduction of self-driving cars by Uber and its consequences. Initially, Uber purchased a large number of cars to be used for an automated fleet (Johnson, & Fitzsimmons, 2018). However, the accident involving an Uber self-driving car, which resulted in the death of a pedestrian, put an end to the testing of automated cars (Hicks & Fitzsimmons, 2019).
The article discusses traffic rules that are controlled by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (CDMV). The authors point out that CDMV supported the testing of automated cars in San Francisco by revoking the registration of vehicles as test cars for Uber (Geuss, 2016). The primary function of CDMV is to regulate traffic in California in accordance with the rules established by the US government. Therefore, these traffic rules belong to the category of regulations that are performed by a special federal department based on state law.
The article also discusses the investigation of car accidents that occurred with Uber automated cars. It refers to the rules that imply Car Accident law, which determines who is responsible for the personal and property damage resulting from a traffic collision (HG Legal Resources, 2020). Another rule mentioned in the article is about trade secrets. This rule can be classified as criminal law because trade secrets are protected under federal criminal law.
Stealing trade secrets can also be considered an ethical issue as it violates business and commercial ethics (Milligan, & Wexler, 2014). Another ethical issue raised in the article is the death in traffic. Unfortunately, the utilization of self-driving cars may result in the deaths of pedestrians, which contradicts the concepts of safety ethics.
References
Geuss, M. (2016). After Uber defied California’s DMV, the DMV revoked Uber’s registrations. Web.
Hicks, M., & Fitzsimmons, M. (2019). Self-driving cars: your complete guide to autonomous vehicles. Web.
Johnson, L., & Fitzsimmons, M. (2018). Uber self-driving cars: everything you need to know. Web.
Legal Resources. (2020). Car accident law. Web.
Milligan, R., & Wexler, M. (2014). Trade secret attorneys discuss latest issues in trade secret litigation in corporate disputes magazine. Web.