The owner of an autonomous vehicle bears responsibility for accidents involving this type of transport. Additionally, in some cases, the manufacturer and dispatcher may also face penalties. The bill proposed by the Ministry of Transport envisages the appearance of autonomous cars on Russian roads with certain restrictions as early as next year.
When to Expect Autonomous Vehicles
The experiment with highly automated vehicles (HAVs) began back in 2018. It is being conducted in various regions of Russia, including Moscow, Tatarstan, and others. It has been established that using HAVs for freight transportation can reduce accidents by 90% and cut costs by a third.
To transition to full-fledged use of autonomous vehicles on Russian roads, it is necessary to establish the rights and obligations of all participants in this process: manufacturers, owners, users, insurers, and insured persons.
The Ministry of Transport has developed a bill that suggests autonomous vehicles could start moving on public roads as early as September 2025, but with prohibitions on routes carrying hazardous cargoes.
Moreover, each autonomous vehicle must be equipped with an automatic control system, cryptographic data protection, as well as an event recording device and GLONASS/GPS.
Who’s at Fault and What to Do
The developers of the bill have determined liability for accidents involving autonomous vehicles in accordance with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for the “liability of the owner of a source of increased danger.”
The manufacturer of HAVs may also be held liable for accidents if it can be proven that they occurred due to the vehicle’s design features. The dispatcher, in turn, is subject to requirements and obligations, including keeping a route log and promptly informing law enforcement authorities of incidents, which they must comply with.
Experts believe that the risk of accidents with autonomous transport is lower due to the absence of the human factor.
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