[ WP ] Your future self driving car has to choose between saving you or saving some strangers ( from r/futurology )

An empty bridge, around 5:45 PM. Dusk, when the light is hardest for the onboard cameras to interpret. It was snowing, too, which adds a second layer of complexity. Light can reflect from ice on the road, or on the bridge. Gusting snow can look like another vehicle to some of the sensors. And the grey snow jacket of an eight year old girl can appear identical to the snow-covered shrubs next to her. 
 
 Her name was Sarah, and she had just started third grade. Her bus stop was across the street right at the front of the bridge, and her mother was running too late to escort her to the stop. Her mother says she always looked both ways before crossing, but of course she remembers her daughter as a perfect angel. Or maybe Sarah did exactly as she was supposed to, and just did n't see or hear the two cars speeding down the street. 
 
 The Toyota evaluated the situation immediately. Infrared scanners captured the little girl's image and predicted her movements before her foot even touched the pavement. Sensors in the wheels evaluated the road conditions and determined that the ice made it impossible to brake in time to prevent an accident. There was a 68 percent chance that applying full brakes at this speed would send the car spinning off the road or over the side of the bridge and into the icy river, killing all three passengers. Programming limitations made that an unacceptable risk. And so,.7 seconds after Sarah stepped into the roadway, a decision was made. 
 
 The car swerved into oncoming traffic. It knew that my car was approaching from the opposite direction. It knew that I was the only passenger. It knew the speed that I was traveling. And it communicated its decision to my car almost instantaneously so that my vehicle could veer away in time to prevent the collision. 
 
 How was the Toyota supposed to know that my car was on manual at the time? 
 
 I heard the `` ding'' as the car requested control again, but by the time I reacted, it was already too late. I saw the shocked faces of the other passengers as the hoods of our cars plowed together and crumpled. They were n't wearing seatbelts; who did these days? My eyes closed, but even over the squelch of twisting metal, I could still hear the sickening thud of the other passengers hitting the pavement. My own car went into a vicious tailspin and slid across the bridge, right into Sarah. She died almost instantly. 
 
 Ironically, I was the only survivor. The only factors that the Toyota had n't been able to predict were my love for manual driving, and my sheer stupidity for doing it in such conditions. 

