A modified car had a fatal accident, and what’s being investigated is the software-writing company.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the developer of this open-source driver assistance system. The reason is that there have been at least two serious accidents—one fatal and one causing injuries. The vehicles involved are equipped with the company’s open-source advanced driver assistance system. In some of the accidents, a third-party modified branch version was used. The code had been changed after it left the factory, and the original project’s updates and testing no longer apply.
The two accidents occurred in Louisiana and Missouri, respectively. The models were a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda Accord. In the latter case, the speed at about the time of impact was roughly 82 miles per hour. Both incidents were subject to a mandatory reporting order from the regulator, requiring that manufacturers offering Level 2 driving assistance must report specific accidents.
Open source has pushed the question of responsibility to the front. While code can be freely distributed and modified, there isn’t a ready-made way to assign responsibility among the original author, the modifier, and the vehicle owner when an accident occurs. Regulators can only confirm the facts first, and then discuss the rules.
The outcomes of investigations like this often determine whether open-source driving software can continue to circulate in its current form. Technical freedom and legal accountability were never part of the same logic, and the industry needs a clear precedent to align the two.
Code can branch, but responsibility does not automatically split with it.
#自动驾驶 #opensource
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the developer of this open-source driver assistance system. The reason is that there have been at least two serious accidents—one fatal and one causing injuries. The vehicles involved are equipped with the company’s open-source advanced driver assistance system. In some of the accidents, a third-party modified branch version was used. The code had been changed after it left the factory, and the original project’s updates and testing no longer apply.
The two accidents occurred in Louisiana and Missouri, respectively. The models were a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda Accord. In the latter case, the speed at about the time of impact was roughly 82 miles per hour. Both incidents were subject to a mandatory reporting order from the regulator, requiring that manufacturers offering Level 2 driving assistance must report specific accidents.
Open source has pushed the question of responsibility to the front. While code can be freely distributed and modified, there isn’t a ready-made way to assign responsibility among the original author, the modifier, and the vehicle owner when an accident occurs. Regulators can only confirm the facts first, and then discuss the rules.
The outcomes of investigations like this often determine whether open-source driving software can continue to circulate in its current form. Technical freedom and legal accountability were never part of the same logic, and the industry needs a clear precedent to align the two.
Code can branch, but responsibility does not automatically split with it.
#自动驾驶 #opensource