PP019
Analítico de Periódico
P89_36-37
P89_36-37
LOPES, Inês Pereira
Who will we blame when no one is driving? : rethinking criminal liability for accidents caused by connected and autonomous vehicles / Inês Pereira Lopes
THEMIS - Revista da Faculdade de Direito da UNL, Coimbra, a.21 e 22 n.36-37 (2020-2021), p.127-140
Estante n.º 13
DIREITO PENAL, RESPONSABILIDADE PENAL, ACIDENTE DE VIAÇÃO, VEÍCULO AUTÓNOMO
'Self-driving' cars have moved from our collective imaginary to our parking spots. The high expectations which have followed their emergence and the predicted benefits that this novelty will bring are tempered, however, by the great legal challenges that a transition to autonomation will pose. Among these challenges lies the problem of assessing criminal liability for car accidents caused by Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Criminal Law systems around the globe should adapt to and prepare for the upcoming reality of autonomous cars, as current legal frameworks will not suffice, and their inadequate response may instead hinder their arrival. Criminal liability must be rethought, and new rules should be set in place to ensure one does not miss out on the opportunity of witnessing a safer, greener, and more equal future, all the while ensuring fundamental principles of criminal law remain safeguarded and impunity does not ensue. This is the complex balance that criminal law must reach and which this article hopes to contribute to.