Criminal charges are appropriate in situations where a human (or group of humans) acts with malicious or reckless intent that harms (or could harm) the communit

Criminal charges are appropriate in situations where a human (or group of humans) acts with malicious or reckless intent that harms (or could harm) the community. Self-driving vehicles reduce (but do not eliminate) opportunities for malicious or reckless acts related to vehicles. Criminal charges would remain appropriate in situations where an operator or manufacturer (and/or their employees) are malicious or reckless concerning a vehicle's design, manufacturing, or operation. It's important to note that just because someone was injured or died doesn't mean that there are malicious or reckless acts involved. This isn't a novel issue: the courts and legal system regularly deal with defective products, including vehicles, that cause injury or death. If a defective product causes damage, the injured party is typically compensated financially for their loss. They even have frameworks for determining https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_of_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_of_life in monetary terms.