Basic issues of forensic science and self-driving vehicles

Abstract

Driving is already supported by a number of technical devices. Just think of the cruise control, lane change system, automatic deceleration, automatic parking system, electronic stability control, automatic emergency brakes or lane departure warning. Although the introduction of self-driving vehicles in Hungary still seems to be a distant future, it is already present in many countries (especially in the USA). There are countless fears and uncertainties about self-driving vehicles, but the benefits are undeniable. The introduction of self-driving vehicles raises a number of legal, technical, informatics and ethical issues. Of them, the study examines the advantages and disadvantages of introducing self-driving vehicles in the light of basic forensic issues, after clarifying ethical issues (see trolley- problem) and guilt issues. Within this, it is limited to traffic offenses (so the issue of cyber-terrorism related to self-driving vehicles, or even drug trafficking, is not the subject of the study). It has been found that some questions may make it more difficult to detect a crime (it is often difficult to answer the question who committed it). From the product manufacturer to the programmer, the operator or the user, many people can be held criminally liable. In comparison, thanks to the technical means and the network connection, we can count on ease of detection of the crimes with the help of self-driving vehicles in many issues.

Arrived: 8 September 2020
Accepted: 8 November 2020