The Social and Legal Impact of Autonomous Vehicles: A Future without Human Driving (Elgar Studies in Law and Society)

This book explores the legal and societal implications of autonomous vehicles (AVs), drawing on historical examples of disruptive technologies and the complex process of their adoption. Employing broad interdisciplinary perspectives, Guy Seidman and Aviv Gaon imagine how the socio-cultural perception of AVs might develop and how they could fit into the urban landscape.

Seidman and Gaon argue that AVs, despite their limitations, offer a significant improvement over the current state of human driving. They examine how the high costs of human-driven cars, including inefficiencies, pollution, and loss of life, justify the continued pursuit of self-driving cars. Chapters also cover other important topics such as social norms, social isolation, and traffic law. While the future of AVs is uncertain, understanding the socio-legal context can prepare society for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The Social and Legal Impact of Autonomous Vehicles is a thought-provoking read for researchers and students in the fields of law and society, law and technology, legal theory, transport geography, mobilities, and administrative and public law.

Guy Seidman, Professor of Law and Aviv Gaon, Assistant Professor, Harry Radzyner Law School, Reichman University, Israel