Moral reasoning and automatic risk reaction during driving

Recent advances in autonomous vehicles promise to revolutionize the transportation system. This perspective has led to new research on a number of open questions, such as how the self-driving system should behave in unavoidable crash situations. Our study aims to contribute to this investigation. In most ongoing research, this question is presented as a moral dilemma, drawing on established research on the trolley dilemma. However, more recent studies have shifted the focus from morality to risk analysis. We investigated the dual contribution of moral judgment and risk analysis in subjects facing dangerous situations. To this end, we use virtual reality to recreate a driving situation that allows subjects to immerse themselves in the road environment. Our results show a strong dissociation between quick decisions, when risk analysis seems to suggest the best choice, and conscious decisions, when proper moral judgment is at stake.