Ensuring the Safe Use of Unmanned Vehicles Under the Threats of Epidemics and Pandemics in a Megapolis: Issues of Public Legal Regulation

Abstract

The purpose of studying the issues of ensuring the safe and efficient use of unmanned vehicles in a megalopolis in the context of the spread of infectious diseases using public regulation tools is to develop, based on the application of methods of systemic legal analysis, evidence-based proposals for improving legislation in the interests of using unmanned vehicles in a megalopolis in order to countering the spread of epidemics and pandemics. The lack of results of scientific understanding of the experience of legal support for the functioning of the transport system of the metropolis in the context of epidemics and pandemics, and, in particular, during the period of countering the spread of the coronavirus infection COVID-19, both in foreign countries and in Russia, seems to be an important negative factor that minimizes the potential of using self-driving cars to reduce cross-contamination opportunities in high-density areas, which undoubtedly include metropolitan areas.
 Background. The ever-increasing threat of the spread of epidemics and pandemics, as well as their consequences, demonstrated, among other things, by the results of the coronavirus infection COVID-19, entails the well-founded attention of practitioners and the interest of scientists in determining the means to counter the threats of the spread of infectious diseases. Of particular importance is the search for such funds to ensure the safety of the population living in certain areas, characterized by the presence of additional factors that lead to a significant increase in the risk of the disease. In particular, we are talking about the situation in megacities characterized by an extremely high population density, which, combined with the presence of developed transport communications, increased passenger traffic, contributes to “cross” infection, the rapid spread of mass infectious diseases. At the same time, as the results of the study show, the use of unmanned vehicles in a metropolis in the interests of monitoring the epidemiological situation in areas with a high level of infection, delivering medicines to patients, etc. ensures minimization of the risk of infection of medical personnel, significantly reduces material costs and time spent on the implementation of such measures.
 Materials and research methods. The use of methods of comparative legal analysis allowed the authors, based on the results of studying foreign legal sources, analytical data and scientific literature, allowed the authors to assess the applicability of the experience of legal regulation and the organization of the safe use of unmanned vehicles in a metropolis in the context of the emergence and counteraction to the spread of epidemics and pandemics. A formal dogmatic analysis of Russian regulatory legal and individual acts on the issues of ensuring the safe use of unmanned vehicles in an urban agglomeration made it possible to identify gaps and contradictions that minimize the potential for legal impact on the participants in the relations under study.
 Results. A comprehensive systematic and legal study of scientific sources, norms of international, foreign and Russian legislation, law enforcement practice allowed the authors to formulate proposals for improving the system of legal regulation in order to safely use unmanned vehicles in a metropolis in the event of risks of occurrence and counteracting the spread of epidemics and pandemics.
 Conclusion. Legalization in Russian public law of the special requirements proposed by the authors for ensuring the use of unmanned vehicles in a metropolis, their network interaction, the legal grounds for admission to operation and the conditions for their safe use to monitor the epidemiological situation, supply the population with medicines and food in the context of the introduction of quarantine measures in urban agglomeration, can contribute to the elimination of identified gaps in administrative regulation.