The issues of the liability for causing an accident by the operator of a tested autonomous vehicle are discussed. The author analyzes the provisions of Section 6 of the Act on Road Traffic (The use of roads for the purpose of research work on autonomous vehicles), which include regulations allowing testing autonomous vehicles on public roads. A definition of the operator of such a vehicle is proposed together with his/her responsibilities. Also, the term “research work” used in the Act is clarified. Moreover, the issue of specifying the charge laid in the case of the necessity to bring a charge against an autonomous vehicle operator in the course of criminal proceedings is considered. In the preparation of the paper research methods including the analysis of the normative text, the analysis of the views of doctrine and judicial decisions as well as the analysis of an individual case were employed. The paper is of significance for organs conducting or supervising criminal proceedings – at both pre-trail and trial stages – because it concerns the issues which in the Act on road traffic have not been so far defined or elucidated.

The issue primary from the human and social perspective, but unfortunately secondary to the considerations of legal literature so far – of the emergency vehicle traffic is discussed. The author's comments on the status of emergency vehicles on the road, especially in the context of the amended art. 9 of Traffic Code are presented together with critical remarks regarding some judgments settling this type of cases.

An analysis of the current provisions of the Act on Road Traffic of 20 June 1997 concerning the issue of the safety of persons crossing the pedestrian crossing is presented. The author concentrates on the practical application of the law, focusing on the implementability of the discussed standards of conduct from the perspective of individual traffic participants, emphasizing the problem of interpretation referred to broadly defined safety principles. To achieve the objective of the paper, the method traditionally used in the scientific study of law, i.e. a linguistic analysis was used, enriching it with elements of empirical studies.

The article presents the results of simulation calculations of the braking process in a straight-line motion of a set of a two-axle vehicle and a single-axle unbraked trailer. The stopping distance of the set on a horizontal and sloping road surface, dry and wet, was assessed. The longitudinal inclination of the road was changed, as well as the weight of the trailer and the longitudinal and vertical position of its centre of mass. The result of the work is a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impact (on braking efficiency) of attaching an unbraked single-axle trailer to a two-axle car when going up and down a hill and on a level road surface. The obtained results showed that the additional load of the vehicle itself (without the trailer) had no effect on the length of the stopping distance or on the value of the maximum braking deceleration when the driver could fully use the traction of the road wheels to the road surface. Attaching an unbraked trailer has the greatest effect on the lightest vehicle. As expected, positive elevation shortens the stopping distance, while negative elevation lengthens it. The length of the stopping distance increases significantly on a wet surface, which is particularly noticeable for negative elevation.