FORUM:General Assembly 6thCommittee

QUESTION OF:Resolving the legal and liability issues regarding self-driving automobiles

SUBMITTED BY: Sudan

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

Acknowledging that the United Nations has no resolutions or organisation allocated to the problem at hand,

Defining Autonomous cars as automobiles with the ability to drive unmanned relying on smart technologies,

Noting that self-driving cars are classified in accordance to the automation level on a scale of 0-5 by the SAE international,

Bearing in mind of the May 7, 2016 Tesla Model S autonomous car crash causing the death of the pilot with causes yet unknown,

Recognizing efforts made by national administrations worldwide to set forth legislations and series of regulation in hopes of resolving liability issues regarding self-driving automobiles,

Deeply concerned with the potential harm and accidents caused by self-driving automobiles,

Further recognizing safety measures taken by car-making entities such as Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes, Google, with autonomous cars to minimize car accidents,

Understanding the possible cyber-attacks that may occur on self-driving automobiles at any time under any circumstances,

Taking into account the guidelines set by the United Nations World Forum for harmonization of vehicle regulations,

  1. Calls for the creation of an United Nations specialized agency called the United Nations Self-driving Automobile Organization (“UNSAO”) to cooperate with the International Standards Organization (“ISO”) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (“SAE”) international to be dedicated to resolving international transportation issues including the issue of liability regarding autonomous vehicles with responsibilities such as but not limited to:

a)Developing a series of standardized liability assessment which would be used by all member states in accordance to such as but not limited to:

  1. Road type,
  2. Geographic location,
  3. Speed range,
  4. driver’s health conditions,
  5. Environmental conditions,

b)Enabling the creation of an online database dedicated to compiling, analysing, and sharing autonomous accident reports which member states would submit logistics to,

c)Acting as an advisory council to standardize world automation accident cases’ causes and party of liability;

  1. Urges the abovementioned UNSAO to suggest transportation legislation reforms regarding autonomous cars which member states would voluntarily adopt such as but not limited to:

a)Requiring car-making entities to complete a mandatory state-unified 15 step safety checklist such as that of the 15-Point Federal Checklist for Self-Driving Cars of the United States prior to the release of an autonomous car model,

b)Requesting all consumers of autonomous vehicles to sign a letter of agreement for purposes such as but not limited to:

  1. Pledging to accept liability for proven human-induced accidents during vehicle usage,
  2. Allowing for access to personal information to a certain extent depending on the vehicle automation level,

c)Equipping all autonomous vehicles with a wireless software which functions similar to a black boxto help clarify causes of accidents in case of one;

  1. Further urges member states to sanction self-driving automobile manufacturers violating legislation reforms as suggested above:

a)For reasons such as but not limited to:

  1. Consumers’ safety issue,
  2. Consumers’ personal data,

b)Through ways such as but not limited to:

  1. Heavy fines,
  2. Imposing taxation on automobile production over four quarters,
  3. Reducing subsidies from government over four quarters,
  4. Enforcing a quota to limit the number of automobiles produced by the manufacture over four quarters,
  5. Preventing new investors from funding new research over four quarters;
  1. Asks for member states to assess legal liability in case of crashes just and objectively through means such as but not limited to:

a)Utilizing SAE international automation levels to identify human/non human errors and level of human involvement in the accident to achieve goals such as but not limited to:

  1. Requesting autonomous vehicle engineering entities to take full responsibility and liability for technical errors induced accidents or take partial liability for partially technically induced accidents,
  2. Requesting insurance companies to take responsibility and liability for human induced accidents,
  3. Allowing the UNSAO to standardize party of liability if cause of accident is unidentified;
  1. Strongly recommends countries to set forth regulations within transportation laws regarding cyber security to encourage for the improvement of cyber security in self-driving automobiles such as but not limited to:

a)The company taking full economic responsibility for cases where the autonomous vehicle’s system is hacked,

b)The act of hacking to self-driving automobile for any reason is an illegal act with regardsas a felony due to its threat to public safety and may be an attempt of murder,

c)If the information stored in the vehicle of the owner is leaked against the owner’s personal will, the company will take full responsibility;

  1. Strongly urges nations to enforce safety examinations before releasing the self-driving automobile vehicle to the customer in such ways but not limited to:

a)Recommending companies to send proposed new models of autonomous cars to the government for safety approvals based on safety regulations as suggested by the UNSAO,

b)Enforcing companies to conduct strict examinations to each vehicle before selling in the following areas such as but not limited to:

  1. Regular Supplemental Restraint System (“SRS”) inspections checking if SRS responds fast enough to a collision and cannot be manipulated by modification to the software,
  2. Releasing hazard and risk analysis reports utilizing test drive results prior to the release of an autonomous car model;
  1. Endorsesincreasedand better flowing communications between the autonomous vehicle consumers and vehicle selling companies through ways such as but not limited to:

a)Entities submitting post-accident reports on autonomous car accidents to the public for reasons such as:

  1. Building a stronger system of logistics for future analysis on causes of autonomous crashes,
  2. Allowing third-party agencies to analyse accident reports for standardizing the party of liability,

b)Enforcing consumer training programs on the usage of autonomous vehicles by car-making entities in areas such as but not limited to:

  1. Emergency measures that can be taken during accidents,
  2. Level of automation and corresponding requirement of human involvement,
  3. Common hazards and risks regarding the model of car purchased,
  4. Special considerations for people with disability.