Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles in Public International Law from the Aspect of International Transport

The issue of autonomous vehicles is one of the most pressing issues of our time that raises important questions regarding the territory of public international law. The development and spread of autonomous vehicles require predictable international regulation, which is extremely necessary in the field of international transport, where several steps have been taken in this direction. The aim of the study is to reveal and evaluate the actual overview of the state of regulation of autonomous vehicles within the field of international transport, paying special attention to the work of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (World Forum). For this purpose, the study analyzes the steps taken so far, presenting the two ways of regulation within these organs: the amendments of the existing rules of international transport and the creation of new documents for autonomous vehicles. With analytical, descriptive and comparative research methods, the study examines the question of whether these regulatory efforts are sufficient and what further steps should be taken to address the issue of autonomous vehicles in a satisfactory manner. The study comes to the conclusion that both the amendments and the new documents created so far have disadvantages, due to which they should be only regarded as starting points and the work should be continued in the direction of a new, precise and binding international treaty or treaties on autonomous vehicles. Based on the results of the study, this solution could contribute to the safety, sustainability and future of autonomous vehicles and international transport.