Self-Driving Vehicles in the Network of Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Traffic Criminal Law

Abstract

Introduction: The rise of self-driving vehicles is fundamentally reshaping the technological and legal framework of transportation, particularly through the integration of artificial intelligence. While significant research has examined the technical development of autonomous technologies, the criminal law and ethical assessment of machine decision-making still raise many unresolved questions.

Aim: This study aims to explore the liability and legislative challenges posed by self-driving vehicles, with special attention to the interrelationships between criminal transportation law, the ethics of machine decisions, and legal accountability. It also examines how existing legal categories – particularly the notion of a “driver” – apply to vehicles with high levels of autonomy.

Methodology: The research employs qualitative methods, including a literature review, normative legal analysis, case studies, and a comparative examination of international and domestic regulatory models. The study places particular emphasis on comparing the SAE autonomy scale with the conceptual framework of current law, as well as evaluating the practical applicability of selected ethical theories.

Results: The analysis demonstrates that the current legal framework is not adequate to address the new forms of liability arising from autonomous systems. In cases of accidents caused by software errors, proving liability becomes difficult, especially when determining responsibility. The legal category of “driver” cannot be clearly interpreted for vehicles with level 4 and 5 autonomy. The ethical assessment also reveals that the moral grounding of machine decisions cannot be satisfactorily achieved without social consensus and technological transparency. International examples underline the need to reinterpret human negligence in the context of machine decision-making within criminal law.

Conclusions: The study concludes that the spread of autonomous technology makes it necessary to rethink the dogmatic foundations of criminal transportation law. A key finding is that accountability requires decision traceability, which is currently insufficient from both technological and regulatory perspectives. Future research should focus on the dynamics of responsibility in human–machine interactions, the standardization of ethical programming, and the redefinition of the legal status of drivers.