China's top court rules drivers liable even with assisted driving activated

(ECNS) — China's Supreme People's Court has issued a landmark ruling, clarifying that drivers remain criminally responsible as the operator of a vehicle even when its assisted driving systems are active. The court released its first set of guiding criminal cases on road traffic safety on Friday, aiming to establish clear legal standards amid the rapid adoption of driving assistance technologies.

The court stated that as assisted driving functions become more widespread, some drivers have become inattentive after activation, while others have installed unauthorized devices to bypass safety monitoring features.

In a highlighted case, a defendant surnamed Wang activated his vehicle's assisted driving system after getting drunk. He had installed an aftermarket device—often referred to online as a "self-driving cheat"—to trick the system into believing a driver was in control. Wang then moved to the passenger seat and fell asleep as the car continued to drive. The vehicle was later found obstructing traffic, and bystanders alerted police.

The key issue in the case was whether Wang's actions constituted the crime of dangerous driving, given that he was not physically controlling the vehicle. The Supreme People's Court ruled that "in-vehicle assisted driving systems cannot replace the human driver as the subject of driving." It emphasized that anyone who activates such a function and deliberately evades its safety monitoring must bear full criminal liability, regardless of their physical position in the car.

The trial court convicted Wang of dangerous driving, sentencing him to one month and fifteen days of criminal detention and a fine of 4,000 yuan (approximately $560). The verdict has taken effect as no appeal was filed.

The Supreme People's Court also said that China's road traffic safety situation remained generally stable in 2025, with both the total number of accidents and major accidents declining. Courts nationwide handled more than 43,000 first-instance cases involving traffic accident crimes, down over 3 percent year on year, and more than 230,000 first-instance dangerous driving cases, down nearly 16 percent from a year earlier. 

(By Evelyn)