论自动驾驶汽车生产者的刑事责任

自动驾驶汽车是人类研发、制造、使用和管理的智能产品,不是犯罪主体或刑事责任主体。在自动驾驶汽车自主控制状态下发生交通事故的,其生产者、使用者和其他人员难以按照我国现有刑法的罪名定罪处罚。除非道路交通安全法和刑法有专门的规定,驾驶位人员不接管汽车或接管后无力改变交通事故结果的,不构成交通肇事罪或其他管理过失犯罪。驾驶位人员的注意义务是阻止自动驾驶汽车自主控制下发生交通事故,其注意义务不应过高。允许的风险、紧急避险理论不能为自动驾驶汽车紧急路况处理算法的生产与应用提供合法、合理的解决方案,生产者遵守算法安全标准仅可以使生产行为合法化。鉴于现行刑法不适应自动驾驶汽车应用的特性,我国应当建立以生产者全程负责为中心的新刑事责任体系,使之在自动驾驶汽车生产和应用两个阶段承担安全管理责任,生产者拒不履行自动驾驶汽车应用安全管理义务且情节严重的,应当承担刑事责任。

Comment on the Criminal Responsibility of Self-driving Vehicle Producer

Autonomous vehicle,an intelligent product developed,manufactured,used and managed by human beings,is not the subject of crime or criminal liability.In the case of a traffic accident occurring in the autonomous control state of such a vehicle,the existing criminal law cannot convict or punish its producers,users and other persons involved.Unless specially provided,the current road traffic safety law and criminal law cannot hold liable the person on the driver’s seat for management negligence,if he does not take over the car or after taking over is unable to prevent the traffic accident,as the duty of care for the person on the driver’s seat is to prevent the vehicles under autonomous control from road accidents,and therefore should not be set too high.The theory of permissible risk and emergency avoidance cannot provide a legitimate and reasonable solution for the algorithm of autonomous vehicle to handle the emergency of road conditions,and the manufacturer’s compliance with the algorithm safety standard can only legitimize the production.As the use of such autonomous vehicle finds no applicable provisions in the current criminal law.,a new criminal liability system shall be built.It will require the accountability in safety management of the manufacturer of the autonomous vehicle in the whole process from the production to the application.The manufacturer shall bear criminal liability if he refuses to fulfill the obligation of safety management in the application of the autonomous vehicle and if the circumstances are serious.