China top court says drivers responsible despite autonomous technology

China's top court has issued a ruling confirming humans in cars with assisted driving technology are responsible for their vehicle, setting a nationwide benchmark as Beijing positions itself as a standards-setter in the auto market.



In its ruling, the court referred to a case in which a man relied on the technology while drunk and asleep at the wheel.



Chinese tech companies and carmakers have poured billions of dollars into autonomous driving technology in the race to outperform each other, as well as rivals in the United States and Europe.



However, Beijing has moved to tighten safety rules after a high-profile crash last March.



Drivers are still responsible for ensuring road safety after activating assisted driving functions, China's top court said in a "guiding case" issued on Friday (Feb 13).



The reference case is a September ruling in southern Zhejiang province, in which a driver surnamed Wang was jailed and fined for fully relying on the assisted driving system while drunk.