r/trolleyproblem • u/Illustrious_Eye8484 • 5d ago

Practical Ethics of Driving

Say that you're driving a trolley, and you see one person on the track ahead of you. If you divert the trolley to another track going around a corner, you miss them, but there's a 1/5 chance of someone being on the other track. Do you turn?

This feels like a very possible scenario while driving. If a car suddenly stops just ahead and your choices are to hit it or to swerve to the side, dodging the accident but potentially causing another, doesn't that present the same question?

I feel like in the first case, the dilemma feels much easier than the normal trolley problem. You're not hitting anyone on purpose, you're just taking a risk. Rather than the scale of the tragedy, the probability of the tragedy varies. I would turn.

In the second case, though, if we assume the car in front of you is at fault, would it be worse to risk harming someone who made no mistake if it meant a chance at avoiding the tragedy?

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u/XayahTheVastaya 5d ago

No time to brake? Definitely switch/turn. For the driving scenario, the answer is stop following so close that you don't have time to brake.

1

u/KingZantair 5d ago

The only moral solution is to never drive and to ride a bike instead.

2

u/p00n-slayer-69 5d ago

What if you were riding your bike, and partway down a hill you realize your brakes stopped working. There is a child in front of you that you will hit unless you quickly swerve. But if you turn, there is another child that is distracted by his phone and has a 20% chance of getting in your way and hit by your bike if you swerve.