汽車交通事故駕駛人之侵權責任──自動駕駛系統之挑戰

Tortious Liability of a Driver in Automobile Accidents ─ Challenges for Automated Driving Systems

汽車發生交通事故，駕駛人因過失致生損害於受害人，受害者得依民法第184條第1項前段，向行為人即駕駛人請求損害賠償，其亦得引用民法第184條第2項規定作為請求權基礎者，而依該規定，違反保護他人之法律，致生損害於他人者，負賠償責任。受害人除依據前述一般侵權行為責任之規範，向侵權行為人請求損害賠償外，亦可以同法第191條之2特別侵權責任規定為請求權基礎。該條以過失推定之立法方式，減輕受害人之舉證責任。傳統汽車由自然人操控，因其行為違反注意義務而有過失，自應負賠償責任，惟自動駕駛車之發展特性乃將負責操作車輛主體由自然人轉移至自動駕駛系統，具有自駕系統之車輛行駛時，因其自駕程度不同，駕駛人參與車輛行駛之程度亦有所不同，當不同自駕程度之車輛發生交通意外事故時，受害人請求損害賠償時，責任主體之確認與駕駛人注意義務亦因不同自駕程度而受有影響，進而使現行侵權行為法構成要件適用上出現困難。因此，本文首先闡述傳統汽車駕駛人侵權責任之相關構成要件，並分析自駕系統對駕駛人侵權責任認定之影響，最後探究配有自駕系統車輛引發之交通事故適用我國侵權行為法所面臨之挑戰，並借鏡外國學說所提出之新思維，以為未來實務與修法之方向。

Under tort law, automobile accident victims are entitled to recover damages from drivers for negligence according to Article 184 Section 1 of Civil Code. A defendant may be considered negligence per se, if he violates a statutory provision enacted for the protection of others under Article 184 Section 2 of Civil Code. Also, Article 191-2 of Civil Code creates a rebuttable presumption of negligence on vehicle drivers to relax burden of proof for the plaintiff. A driver is in control of his traditional vehicle and is responsible for any damage caused when he does not exercise reasonable care while in operation of the vehicle under current tort law. An autonomous vehicle, however, is designed to take control out of the hands of the driver, rendering the current tort law inapplicable. The development course of autonomous vehicles is the course that the main body of driving duty changes from natural person to automated driving system. As autonomous vehicles shift the operating responsibility of driving from humans to automated driving systems, it will affect the application of the elements embedded in the tort law principles such as responsible persons and duty of care. Accordingly, this Article examines relevant elements of tort law on the liability of a driver in traditional automobile accidents and explores the legal challenges of the current tort law principles likely to be posed by semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. Finally, it offers some new thoughts proposed by American scholars and commentators that may be employed in courts and legislatures in Taiwan to determine tortious liability of a driver for an injury caused by vehicles incorporated with automated driving systems.