CIVIL LIABILITY OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles are seen as a recent trend that has brought about changes in conventional driving. Although autonomous vehicles may bring a significant increase in safety, mobility, and productivity, it is not entirely fool proof and there can still be unfortunate incidents. In a normal car, the driver oversees the vehicle and may be liable both criminally and civilly if he fails to control his vehicle. However, in cases involving autonomous vehicles, the driver alone may not be in control of the vehicle; instead, the autonomous vehicle software navigates the car. This paper adopts a doctrinal methodology to conduct an issue-based literature review pertaining to civil liability issues for road accidents involving autonomous vehicles. The issues identified are: liability, the standard of liability, the safety regulation of autonomous vehicles, and insurance as the compensation mechanism for accidents. The review helps to organise the literature according to the themes and to derive lessons learnt from the literature.