- avoid collisions with things or people if at all possible
- if collisions are unavoidable, choose whatever option won't harm anyone
- if harm is unavoidable, select the option that harms whoever is created the unsafe situation by doing something they shouldn't have
- if harm to law-abiding normally-behaving person is unavoidable and a critical safety feature of the vehicle has failed due to lack of maintenance, prefer harm to whoever is responsible for vehicle maintenance
- if situation is unrelated to vehicle maintenance or harm to some other party is unavoidable, choose the option that maximizes likelihood of people getting out of the way, minimizes impact speed, and isn't overly surprising (i.e. prefer to stay in the same lane if possible), honk the horn, and hope for the best
So, if someone runs into the street suddenly in front of oncoming traffic, the car should not choose an option that harms someone else due to that person's poor choice. Similarly, if someone neglects the maintenance of their car, they should bear the responsibility for it. (Ideally, a "car no longer responsible for protecting your life" light would come on or the vehicle would refuse to start if regular maintenance is overdue.)