Legal issues in automated vehicles
A recent article published in "Humanities and Social Sciences Communications", one of "Nature’s" prestigious publications, explores the legal issues surrounding automated vehicles.
The School of Law’s Dr Subhajit Basu, Associate Professor in Information Technology Law, co-authored the article with Dr Haibo Chen, Principal Research Fellow, and Dr Jo-Ann Pattinson, Research Fellow, from the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.
The article “Legal issues in automated vehicles: critically considering the potential role of consent and interactive digital interfaces” is partly funded by the interdisciplinary EU Horizon 2020 Pascal project.
The piece discusses how technical and operational challenges will arise from automated vehicles and human drivers requiring a system of shared driving. The notion of shared driving between human driver and automated vehicle will also create legal issues linked to responsibility, risk and accountability which the article explores in great depth.
Further research and considerations about the technicalities and legalities of automated vehicles is still underway as it is a novel and complex subject. The article highlights the significant role research will play in supporting adequate education of drivers which may help to define liability between the car and the driver. “Ongoing research into automated vehicle driver training is considered as part of the preparation required to design driver education to a level whereby drivers may be able to sufficiently understand the responsibilities involved in operating a partially automated vehicle, which has implications for future driver training, licensing and certification”, the article concludes.
