Module 2: Automated Vehicles and the Law

Course Overview: This module explores how the U.S. legal system affects and is affected by the deployment and adoption of automated vehicles. The module will begin with a broad overview of the U.S. legal system as it is relevant to automated vehicles, including how disputes are resolved, how authority to regulate is created and exercised, and the interplay between federal, state, and local government. Next, there will be individual deep dives into particular areas of the law, including liability and insurance, consumer data privacy, licensing and operational regulation, and government surveillance/Fourth Amendment issues. Finally, the module will examine other jurisdictions that have regulated automated vehicles, most notably the EU and China.

Course Instructor(s): Tifani Sadek, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic — University of Michigan Law School

Tifani Sadek is a clinical assistant professor of law and co-director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. She also directs the Law and Mobility Program at Michigan Law and is the editor-in-chief of its Journal of Law and Mobility. In addition to her roles at Michigan Law, Sadek serves on the leadership team of Mcity, the University of Michigan’s test facility for connected and automated vehicles. As chair of the legal working group, she leads attorneys and researchers from industry, government, and academia to foster a wide range of research on law and policy as they relate to this burgeoning technology. Immediately before joining the Law School faculty, Sadek was an attorney at General Motors, where she served as lead counsel on the expansion of connected vehicles into South America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. While at General Motors, she also supported connected vehicle operations and negotiated transactions related to data sharing.

Winter 2026 Office Hours: Tuesday, April 7th | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Link: https://umich.zoom.us/j/9913324918