{"title":"Your life versus their jobs: The political economy of transport safety automation","authors":"Roslyn Layton","doi":"10.1111/ecaf.70027","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article examines regulatory misalignment in US transportation policy, highlighting the tolerance of high roadway fatalities (100 + per day) alongside resistance to safety-enhancing automation in sectors such as aviation and rail. Despite proven risk reduction, modernisation of air traffic control and deployment of autonomous freight trains face institutional constraints from unions and sector-specific regulators. Meanwhile driverless vehicles navigate complex roads in the United States, autonomous public transport has operated reliably for decades, and automated freight trains routinely traverse China and Australia. Through comparative sectoral analysis, the article argues that fragmented governance and stakeholder pressures impede adoption of automation that could improve safety outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":44825,"journal":{"name":"ECONOMIC AFFAIRS","volume":"46 1","pages":"99-114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ecaf.70027","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"ECONOMIC AFFAIRS","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecaf.70027","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This article examines regulatory misalignment in US transportation policy, highlighting the tolerance of high roadway fatalities (100 + per day) alongside resistance to safety-enhancing automation in sectors such as aviation and rail. Despite proven risk reduction, modernisation of air traffic control and deployment of autonomous freight trains face institutional constraints from unions and sector-specific regulators. Meanwhile driverless vehicles navigate complex roads in the United States, autonomous public transport has operated reliably for decades, and automated freight trains routinely traverse China and Australia. Through comparative sectoral analysis, the article argues that fragmented governance and stakeholder pressures impede adoption of automation that could improve safety outcomes.
期刊介绍：
Economic Affairs is a journal for those interested in the application of economic principles to practical affairs. It aims to stimulate debate on economic and social problems by asking its authors, while analysing complex issues, to make their analysis and conclusions accessible to a wide audience. Each issue has a theme on which the main articles focus, providing a succinct and up-to-date review of a particular field of applied economics. Themes in 2008 included: New Perspectives on the Economics and Politics of Ageing, Housing for the Poor: the Role of Government, The Economic Analysis of Institutions, and Healthcare: State Failure. Academics are also invited to submit additional articles on subjects related to the coverage of the journal. There is section of double blind refereed articles and a section for shorter pieces that are reviewed by our Editorial Board (Economic Viewpoints). Please contact the editor for full submission details for both sections.
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