Should Car Safety Technology Protect Bikers and Pedestrians Too?

According to Emily Badger, "the history of car safety poses an intriguing question: If vehicle technology has made it safer to ride in cars, should automakers now take more responsibility for making it safer for people who don't even use cars to travel around them?"

Badger shares news of technology currently in development that could lead the industry in developing safety measures for the people outside of cars. Jaguar Land Rover, for instance, in January announced that its Advanced Research Centre "is currently researching 'Bike Sense' technology to figure out what kinds of in-car cues would trigger the most instinctive reactions from drivers at the wheel when a cyclist (or pedestrian) is nearby."

And for anyone who has ever ridden a bike in the door zone and wondered when their luck would run out: "Jaguar is also playing with door handles that would buzz when cyclists are nearby to solve the incredibly low-tech problem of passengers and drivers opening car doors into them."

Badger goes on to raise some of the philosophical questions raised by such potentially game-changing technology.