Autonomous Vehicles: Risk Management Issues and Concerns

Dear Colleagues,

Consistent progress is being made in the technical development of autonomous vehicles. Currently, practitioners and policy-makers are manoeuvring the regulatory environment to harmoniously integrate automated mobility into society. The roll-out of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles in various environments will signal a profound change in transport dynamics and smart mobility networks over the coming decades. Consequently, several sustainability-related issues arise that all stakeholders need to address to shape the future of mobility. Among those issues are changes that need to be made in urban landscapes, production and technological challenges that are about to occur, and of course the acceptance of autonomous vehicles by citizenry around the world. Moreover, a multiplicity of governance issues surrounding the use of big data and the application of artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles require appropriate liability regimes.

For all these reasons, this Special Issue will highlight new opportunities and challenges for the introduction of autonomous transportation systems. A particular emphasis will be devoted to challenges that pertain to the risk management of this emerging technology to ensure sustainable and fair distribution for all stakeholders. Undoubtedly, the risk management question is key to resolving the so-called “pacing problem” in the introduction of new technologies. As such, we welcome authors to submit their timely research related to the risk management of autonomous vehicles, including, but not limited to, the following topics: 

• Risk modelling of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. This might include risk metrics related to “handover” and “handback”;
• Behavioural elements among different demographics and the issue of public acceptance.
• The insurability of autonomous vehicles, actuarial considerations, and the necessary amendments to liability regimes;
• Energy usage and associated infrastructural costs. This might include costs related to the dissemination of 5G, data usage, and storage;
• Applied ethics pieces on autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, with a particular focus on risk appetite and risk acceptance. An ethics approach may also address the issue of surveillance and data governance;
• Articles may also address the implications of autonomous shipping and risk management practices around expected changes in maritime operations, including maritime insurance.

Prof. Dr. Martin Mullins
Chief Guest Editor

Dr. Barry Sheehan
Dr. Darren Shannon
Mr. Tim Jannusch
Assistant Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Autonomous vehicles
• Risk management
• Ethics
• Data governance
• Insurance
• Cybersecurity
• Liability regimes
• Traffic safety
• User acceptance
• Sustainable energy management
• Smart transportation