This is a hot topic right now – technology is advancing rapidly, but laws are just starting to catch up. Imagine: your car is driving without your input and gets into an accident. Who's at fault? The answer isn't as simple as it seems.
What the Russian Ministry of Transport is proposing
According to the draft law on highly automated vehicles, the vehicle owner will be the first to pay compensation to the injured party. But there are some nuances:
- If the accident was caused by a manufacturing defect or software failure, the manufacturer or developer is responsible;
- if the cause was poor-quality repairs, the service center is responsible;
- if someone illegally tampered with the system, the owner is responsible.
And what about China?
There, a mandatory safety standard for L3 and L4 autopilot systems will come into effect on July 1, 2027. Manufacturers will be required to conduct simulations, field tests, and checks on real vehicles. This effectively paves the way for the mass production of cars in which the driver can be distracted from the road. For now, such machines are only in pilot projects.
