The legal issues of autonomous vehicles regulation in the european union and lithuania

Nowadays it is almost impossible to imagine daily life without the available use of a motor vehicle. However, conventional vehicles are hazardous and cause huge numbers of human casualties on the roads. A rapid development of technology results in increased safety and new, better opportunities in physical communication. One such – autonomous cars. They will have a significant impact on the economy and society: autonomous vehicles will significantly change our daily life, determine the future of worldwide road transport, reduce transport costs, improve road safety, increase mobility, reduce environmental impacts and will open the door to new services and modes of transportation. On the other hand, the specifics of new technologies give rise to complex legal dilemmas. The biggest one for legislators in the case of autonomous transport is how to effectively resolve the issue of the allocation of civil liability between legal entities involved in the use of autonomous cars. The factual situation of autonomous vehicle user will, in principle, be no different from that of a conventional vehicle passenger. So it could be argued that the damage caused by an autonomous car should not be the responsibility of their owners/users. However, the transfer of risk to the manufacturer could create barriers to further develop this technology: the risk of becoming liable for any damages would make the manufacturers fearful of creating innovative, riskier products. Quiet clearly, a high level of balance is needed to ensure the protection of the legitimate interests of all involved. On the other hand, the current legal framework is not sufficient to ensure legal justice for all entities involved in the use of autonomous cars. The law of the Republic of Lithuania in this respect has significant gaps. In addition, the rules of individual states governing the exploatation of autonomous transport have significant differences which may interfere with the market integration, competition and the free movement of persons and goods. However, universal rules applicable to autonomous transport exist neither at the level of international, nor European Union level of law. Furthermore, those laws which, in part, regulate this technology, are not sufficiently detailed and have legal gaps