  Is the ethics of autonomous vehicles (AVs) restricted to weighing lives in
unavoidable accidents? We argue that AVs distribute risks between road users in
regular traffic situations, either explicitly or implicitly. This distribution
of risks raises ethically relevant questions that cannot be evaded by simple
heuristics such as "hitting the brakes." Using an interactive, graphical
representation of different traffic situations, we measured participants'
preferences on driving maneuvers of AVs in a representative survey in Germany.
Our participants' preferences deviated significantly from mere collision
avoidance. Interestingly, our participants were willing to take risks
themselves for the benefit of other road users suggesting that the social
dilemma of AVs may lessen in a context of risk.
