Who’s in control?

Whilst experts in embedded systems still argue, Toyota have been found liable for a 2007 fatal car crash. Bugs in the source code relating to the throttle control being highlighted. As we move towards self-driving cars it is not just software and electronic reliability issues that need addressing. A recent conference on intelligent transport systems discussed how self-driving cars deal with “exceptions”. Is there a danger that the technology will over de-skill the task of driving? How does the self-driving car recognise a crisis beyond its program capabilities and safely hand over control to the human driver?