Public health, autonomous automobiles, and the rush to market

Abstract

The USA has the worst motor vehicle safety problem among high-income countries and is pressing forward with the development of autonomous automobiles to address it. Government guidance and regulation, still inadequate, will be critical to the safety of the public. The analysis of this public health problem in the USA reveals the key factors that will determine the benefits and risks of autonomous vehicles around the world.

Dimensions of attitudes to autonomous vehicles

“…Monitoring attitudes over time is important to assist in the development of strategies to inform the public about the nature and imminence of AV technology. Commercial entities developing AVs and government agencies responsible for ensuring appropriate physical and social infrastructures are in place are likely to be interested in the extent to which the general public is aware and supportive of the impending roll-out of these vehicles (Kelley, 2017;Smith, 2017). In particular, identifying the strongest concerns relating to AVs can assist in the planning of proactive efforts to address these issues while building on any perceived positive attributes (Bansal et al, 2016).…”

The health benefits of autonomous vehicles: public awareness and receptivity in Australia

“…Rapid advancements are occurring in the area of vehicle automation, with extensive trials involving both personal and commercial vehicles taking place around the world. Although autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has progressed rapidly, road rules in most jurisdictions have yet to be modified to permit the use of vehicles in full autonomous mode, and governments have yet to develop comprehensive policy approaches to AVs to capitalise on the health benefits offered by this technology while also applying appropriate standards to ensure safety 3,4 …”

“…Although these are substantial health issues that contribute to the burden of disease and require enhanced prevention strategies, 7–10 there is very limited recognition among public health researchers of the role that AVs can play in their amelioration 11 . Exceptions include recent efforts to draw attention to the need for the health sector to appreciate the potential for AVs to produce considerable improvements in public health and to develop appropriate strategies to manage the implementation process to optimise these outcomes 2–5 . Consistent with the Technology Acceptance Model, 12 this existing work has emphasised the importance of ensuring the public is aware of the individual‐ and societal‐level health benefits of AVs to: i) increase the likelihood of adoption; and ii) encourage positive social norms about AVs that will be reflected in community support for public policies designed to facilitate and encourage their adoption.…”

Holding the keys to health? A scoping study of the population health impacts of automated vehicles

“…Accessible mobility ( n = 23) is of primary concern in this theme with some discussion of employment impacts ( n = 6), and affordable housing ( n = 1). AVs are predicted to improve accessibility for differently abled populations, reduce isolation, and improve social connectivity [1, 3, 40]. However, AVs could further perpetuate existing societal inequalities in the transportation system depending on the ownership and access models (i.e., shared vs personal ownership) [6, 36].…”