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Evgeny V. Ismakov - Orenburg State University, Orenburg, Russia

Abstract. The current paper has considered the legal issues related to the use of on-board flight data recorders (“black boxes”) in autonomous vehicles. The emergence of such vehicles on Russian roads occurs despite the insufficient regulation regarding the status of recording systems, which plays a key role in establishing the facts and those responsible in road accidents. The primary purpose of the study was to identify contradictions and gaps in Russian regulations regarding “black boxes” and propose ways to formalize them. There have been used the methods of systemic and dogmatic analysis of legal acts, as well as comparisons with approaches adopted in the European Union, Germany, China, and the United States. The results have revealed that Russia lacks uniform technical standards for such devices, their recordings have no clear evidentiary status in legal proceedings, and there is a poor data protection from unauthorized access. As a new approach, there has been substantiated the necessity to make “black box” data the primary evidence in investigating accidents involving autonomous vehicles. The key conclusions include proposals to mandatorily equip highly autonomous vehicles with “black boxes”, work out a domestic GOST standard, codify rules for the use of recordings in the Russian CPC and the CAO, and establish manufacturers’ liability in case of a proven technical failure. Implementation of these measures will make investigation more objective and enhance safety and public trust in autonomous vehicle technologies.

Keywords: autonomous transport; flight data recorders; “black box”; evidence in court; liability for road accidents; digital law; regulation of autonomous systems.

References:

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Ismakov E.V. Legal aspects of using “black boxes” in autonomous vehicles: problems and prospects in the Russian legislation// Transport law and security. 2026; (1(57)):20―26.