A Study on the Improvement of Motor Vehicles Safety Certification System According to the Deployment of Autonomous Vehicle

The purpose of this study is to explore ways of improving the motor vehicles safety certification system in preparation for the deployment of Lv.4 or higher autonomous vehicles. In order to effectively achieve the objectives of this study, theoretical and empirical research methodologies were employed, including literature review of prior research, government-published data, etc.; comparative research on legislative cases of other countries regarding motor vehicles safety certification; historical and legal research on domestic systems; legal analysis to explore approaches for improvement, etc. Some argue that the type approval system is needed in preparation for deploying autonomous vehicles, but there are several limitations in moving to the type approval system from the self-certification system currently adopted in Korea. First, there is a possibility that the system may be in conflict with the Korea-U.S. MOU regarding Foreign Motor Vehicles (1988) and the Korea-U.S. FTA (2011); second, there is a risk of undermining the cause of the self-certification system, which is the autonomy of manufacturers; third, the boundary between autonomous vehicles and non-autonomous vehicles is unclear; and fourth, the type approval system may hinder technological competitiveness. On the other hand, considering that the Korea-U.S. FTA and the UNECE IWVTA recognize exceptions to deal with road safety and risks to human health or the environment, and have a pre-certification system for some auto parts such as pressure-resistant containers, it can be said that there is room to introduce the type approval system for supplementation purposes. To improve the motor vehicles safety certification system while ensuring the safety of autonomous vehicles of Lv.4 or higher, the targets of type approval should be defined and the criteria, procedures, etc. for type approval should be established. At the same time, the consistency between motor vehicle-related laws and harmonization with international standards need to be considered.

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